Parts of Adelaide Road in Berhampore are set to revert to a 50kmh speed limit. Photo: RNZ/ Nina Fowler
Residents of a Wellington suburb that campaigned hard for a lower speed limit now face losing it.
Under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 councils are required to lift some roads from 30 kilometres per hour to 50kmh.
In Wellington, the council has identified three roads that will need to increase under the rules - parts of Adelaide Road and Rintoul Street in Newtown, as well as The Parade in Island Bay.
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter is penning an open letter to Transport Minister Chris Bishop on behalf of the Berhampore community, asking him to create an exemption to the speed limit rule where the 30kmh speed limits were working well.
She said in Berhampore only short sections of the road were affected and they were close to early childhood centres, schools and aged care facilities.
"This is something the community hasn't asked for, that is going to be forced on them, and that local council will have to pay for," Genter said.
Mark Potter, who is the principal at Berhampore School, said decisions being made for the community by people who did not understand the area was a real concern.
"They do not understand the context. They do not understand the situation. We really have grave concerns as to why they think they could or should be allowed to do that," Potter said.
"We've worked with our council, we've come to a really good solution here, we do not see any value to increasing speed limits."
Potter said many pupils at Berhampore School had to cross the affected roads, in particular Adelaide Road, and increasing the speed would increase the risk to the children.
The Alexandra Rest Home is on the affected part of Rintoul Street.
Manager Anton Srijeshnath said elderly people used mobility scooters and walking frames in that area and a 30kmph speed limit made more sense.
Early childhood educator, comedian and Wellington local Karen O'Leary said she couldn't see the point of the changes.
"I spent 21 years working at Adelaide Early Childhood Centre, which is just around the corner from where these speed limits are apparently going to be increased again, and my son went to Newtown School. So I've spent a lot of years in that area, and I see the chaos that already exists, even once the speed limits were lowered. It's dangerous for children. It's dangerous for people," O'Leary said.
"You've got small children, you've got a lot of the elderly that maybe are going to the hospital and we don't need to have really, really fast cars hooning through, just so they can get to where they need to get be faster."
Transport Minister Chris Bishop Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said National had campaigned on reversing blanket speed limit reductions and was delivering on that promise.
"Safety is important on roads. We are focused on drugs and alcohol, the leading factors in road deaths," he said.
"We are also encouraging safer driver behaviour, promoting safer vehicles, and improved road infrastructure."
He said the government was also prioritising the safety of children by introducing reduced speed limits outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times.
"In every community there are a range of views about speed limits. I encourage Ms Genter to provide her feedback to NZTA and the council."
Council to discuss speed limits
Wellington City Council will be discussing the speed limit changes at its meeting on Wednesday.
Some councillors, including the Mayor, are intending to fight the speed limit changes proposed.
Reversing the speed limits is expected to cost the council approximately $150,000, which was budgeted into the Long-term Plan.
Councillor Tony Randle said if the evidence showed some streets like Rintoul Street would be best suited to a speed limit of 30kmph then he supported that, but that decision needed to be evidence based.
Advocacy group seeks injunction
Meanwhile, advocacy group Movement is seeking an injunction in the High Court in Wellington to hit the pause button on work to increase the speed limits until its judicial review can be heard.
Limits are to increase on 1 July, and Movement fears its judicial review hearing could happen too late to stop it.
A Movement spokesperson said the hearing seeking an interim order to halt work would take about half a day, with the judge's decision taking a couple of weeks.
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