Latest news with #SettingofSpeedLimitsRule2024
NZ Herald
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Speed limit on Napier-Taupō state highway going back to 100km/h
Correction: An initial version of this story suggested the limit would increase on May 22. It will increase on May 29. Maximum speed limits on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō will be back to 100km/h next week. The limit had been lowered to 80km/h amid public debate in 2022. NZTA Waka Kotahi has clarified that the higher limit will be reinstated on May 29, between 100m west of the SH5/Waipunga Rd intersection, near Eskdale, and 1km southeast of the SH5/Matea Rd, near Rangitāiki. A spokesperson said the change is being made 'as required by the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 which legalises the Government's expectation that speed limits on New Zealand's roads will be managed in a way that supports economic growth, boosts productivity, and enables people to get to where they are going quickly and safely'.
NZ Herald
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Speed limit on Napier-Taupō state highway going back to 100km/h next week
Maximum speed limits on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō will be back to 100km/h next Thursday. The limit had been lowered to 80km/h amid public debate in 2022. NZTA Waka Kotahi announced on Friday that the higher limit will be reinstated between 100m west of the SH5/Waipunga Rd intersection, near Eskdale, and 1km southeast of the SH5/Matea Rd, near Rangitāiki. A spokesperson said the change is being made 'as required by the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 which legalises the Government's expectation that speed limits on New Zealand's roads will be managed in a way that supports economic growth, boosts productivity, and enables people to get to where they are going quickly and safely'. Earlier in the year, the NZTA consulted to understand support levels for retaining the 80km/h speed limits through the rural settlements of Tarawera and Te Pōhue, and between Turangakumu and Te Hāroto.
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Turihaua Bay residents fear crashes as SH35 speed limit set to rise
On January 29, 2025, the Minister of Transport confirmed that the stretch of state highway was open to community consultation under the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 introduced by the Government last year. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) ran a consultation on it from January 30 to March 13. According to NZTA data, 53% of those who responded were 'strongly opposed' to retaining the current limit, and 6% were 'slightly opposed'. Of the 864 responses, 41% supported keeping the current speed limit of 80km/h. Resident and Turihaua Station co-owner Sarah Williams said a higher speed limit was 'a fatality waiting to happen'. She cited a road with deep dropouts on to the beach, the high use of public access on Turihaua Beach for fishing, diving and swimming, stock trucks, multiple exits to homes and farms, staff on motorbikes and a 'terrible corner'. Williams said more people used the area during the summer camping season from September through April. 'We went through a rigorous consultation process in 2020 to reduce the speed to 80 km/h. For this to be reversed is a huge worry,' she said. 'When the road was 100km/h, we witnessed multiple crashes and had to fix multiple fences and culverts. 'We had to attend to injured people, hurt when vehicles raced around the corner that sweeps on to the Turihaua Bridge. 'There were lots of near misses between vehicles and staff on motorbikes having to access the farm over the bridge.' Employees living in a roadside cottage were forced to move due to overnight noise and vibrations caused by truck engine-braking, Williams said. Since the speed limit had been reduced, they had noticed a significant decrease in noise and crashes and generally felt much safer on the road. 'We used to have a pull-off bay across from the woolshed, but that has since eroded away.' 'We have made multiple requests to NZTA for this to be protected for road safety reasons, and millions have been spent up the road on the rock walls around Turihaua Point. 'Our staff are very conscientious about pulling off the road to let vehicles travelling at full speed pass. Now, with the lack of a pull-off bay combined with faster speeds, we are deeply concerned for their safety. 'Our boys originally used this pull-off bay to board the morning bus to school safely, but since it has fallen into the ocean, we are now forced to use the dangerous corner before the Turihaua Bridge heading south. 'Frequently, vehicles race past the stopped school bus at full speed, despite the law saying 20 km/h. 'With cars oncoming in the north lane, it is only a matter of time before there's a collision.' Multiple requests had been made to NZTA to protect the pull-off bay, she said. Williams said they were now forced to use the dangerous corner before the Turihaua Bridge heading south. 'With cars oncoming in the north lane, it is only a matter of time before there's a collision.' They were grateful to the Go Bus drivers, who pulled right off the road and triple-checked before heading on State Highway 35. Williams said the public reserve and roads of Turihaua Bay had been neglected. 'The river has eroded half the reserve area enjoyed by summer campers, and the road accessing the toilets is now at risk.' Tatapouri was at the heart of Gisborne's tourism, with rental cars and campervans – often driven by visitors unfamiliar with New Zealand roads – frequently heading to the popular spot, she said. Advertise with NZME. 'The length of Makorori Beach is accessed by half of Gisborne year-round. I am baffled at the survey's outcome on the speed limit and by the people who voted for it to return to 100km/h. 'Do they, too, not hold their breath when travelling past dropouts, slips, terribly laid-out intersections and driveways on blind corners?' Williams said a Facebook post in early March about the consultation and the weighting on a number of votes was 'vague'. 'I had the expectation there would be consultation like the robust 2021 process held in the council chambers.' NZTA director of regional relationships Linda Stewart said safety on the state highway network remained a priority. 'We acknowledge there are a range of views on speed from road users and communities.' Stewart said to ensure as many people as possible were aware of the consultation and could have their say, they used various channels to get the message out, including paid advertising and flyer drops to local residents. 'Following implementation of the higher speed limits, we will monitor the safety of state highways,' she said. 'For any full speed review in the future, as we have always done in the past, themes from both the local community and key stakeholders from consultation will be considered, alongside safety and technical data, including a cost-benefit disclosure statement, to help inform decision-making.'
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Speed Limit Change ‘Disappointing'
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter A Waimakariri district councillor has expressed his frustration at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's decision to restore the 100kph speed limit on SH1 south of Woodend. A decision to restore a 100kph speed limit on State Highway 1, south of Woodend, is being labelled ''disappointing'' by one Waimakariri councillor. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has announced it will reverse its 2020 decision to lower the speed limit to 80kph on the 3.17km stretch of road between Woodend and Cam River, near Kaiapoi, following public consultation. Around 49 percent of the 2327 submissions supported retaining the 80kph speed limit, while 50% wanted it restored to 100kph and 1% were neutral. But councillor Philip Redmond, the council's roading portfolio holder, said any decision should be based on the merits of submissions rather than being ''a numbers game''. The Waimakariri District Council submitted against restoring the 100kph speed limit, citing safety concerns. ''The outcome is disappointing and it is not the outcome I was expecting. ''When we, as a council, are dealing with submissions, it is not a numbers game. ''We look at the submissions people are making and we look at the merits.'' Cr Redmond said it would have made sense to defer the speed limit review until the Woodend Bypass has been build. ''We will be having a look to see if there are any other options to support our position. ''Myself and most of my colleagues are not keen on blanket speed reductions, but we were unanimous at leaving this speed limit alone. ''It (80kph) is an appropriate speed for safety reasons, but maybe it could be reviewed when the bypass is built.'' The Government consulted on several speed limits around the country after introducing new rules to reverse blanket speed limit reductions. Following consultation, speed limits on one section of road in Southland and five in the North Island will remain the same, while 43 speed limit reductions will be reversed. A further 38 sections of state highway had already been identified for auto-reversal, while 16 speed limits are still subject to further consultation, including SH1 through the Rakaia township. An NZTA spokesperson said the new speed limits will be in place by July 1. The new Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 required NZTA to specifically measure levels of public support through the consultation when making its final decision. While the council's submission did not receive any extra weighting, information gathered from iwi, councils and those with particular experience or insights will help inform future speed limit reviews, the spokesperson said. ''It will also feed into the variable speed limits implementation outside school gates, which has just started.'' The speed limit on SH1 between Cam River and Woodend was lowered from 100kph to 80kph in December 2020. NZTA data shows there were 82 crashes on SH1 between Cam River and Woodend in the 10 years to December 2020, including 10 serious crashes, resulting in 15 serious injuries and two deaths. Since the 80kph speed limit was introduced, there have been 35 crashes, including four serious crashes, resulting in five serious injuries, but no deaths. The variable speed limit of 60kph at the Pine Acres intersection, north of Kaiapoi, where the bulk of crashes occurred, will remain in place. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Speed Limit Change ‘Disappointing'
A decision to restore a 100kph speed limit on State Highway 1, south of Woodend, is being labelled ''disappointing'' by one Waimakariri councillor. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has announced it will reverse its 2020 decision to lower the speed limit to 80kph on the 3.17km stretch of road between Woodend and Cam River, near Kaiapoi, following public consultation. Around 49 percent of the 2327 submissions supported retaining the 80kph speed limit, while 50% wanted it restored to 100kph and 1% were neutral. But councillor Philip Redmond, the council's roading portfolio holder, said any decision should be based on the merits of submissions rather than being ''a numbers game''. The Waimakariri District Council submitted against restoring the 100kph speed limit, citing safety concerns. ''The outcome is disappointing and it is not the outcome I was expecting. ''When we, as a council, are dealing with submissions, it is not a numbers game. ''We look at the submissions people are making and we look at the merits.'' Cr Redmond said it would have made sense to defer the speed limit review until the Woodend Bypass has been build. ''We will be having a look to see if there are any other options to support our position. ''Myself and most of my colleagues are not keen on blanket speed reductions, but we were unanimous at leaving this speed limit alone. ''It (80kph) is an appropriate speed for safety reasons, but maybe it could be reviewed when the bypass is built.'' The Government consulted on several speed limits around the country after introducing new rules to reverse blanket speed limit reductions. Following consultation, speed limits on one section of road in Southland and five in the North Island will remain the same, while 43 speed limit reductions will be reversed. A further 38 sections of state highway had already been identified for auto-reversal, while 16 speed limits are still subject to further consultation, including SH1 through the Rakaia township. An NZTA spokesperson said the new speed limits will be in place by July 1. The new Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 required NZTA to specifically measure levels of public support through the consultation when making its final decision. While the council's submission did not receive any extra weighting, information gathered from iwi, councils and those with particular experience or insights will help inform future speed limit reviews, the spokesperson said. ''It will also feed into the variable speed limits implementation outside school gates, which has just started.'' The speed limit on SH1 between Cam River and Woodend was lowered from 100kph to 80kph in December 2020. NZTA data shows there were 82 crashes on SH1 between Cam River and Woodend in the 10 years to December 2020, including 10 serious crashes, resulting in 15 serious injuries and two deaths. Since the 80kph speed limit was introduced, there have been 35 crashes, including four serious crashes, resulting in five serious injuries, but no deaths. The variable speed limit of 60kph at the Pine Acres intersection, north of Kaiapoi, where the bulk of crashes occurred, will remain in place. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
