Latest news with #SettingofSpeedsLimitsRule2024
NZ Herald
02-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Hawke's Bay speed limit surprise: SH51 reverts to 100km/h overnight
Linda Stewart, the director of regional relationships, NZTA, said that the change had been made in line with the Setting of Speeds Limits Rule 2024 (the Rule). 'The Rule 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,' she said. However, Stewart made it clear the speed limit is the maximum speed and not the target and anyone caught speeding by police can be expected to be pulled over. Sitting on SH51 is Hōhepa, a business and residence that supports people with intellectual disabilities. Ruth Malone has two adult children at Hōhepa and said she was surprised by the change to 100km/h, believing it wouldn't go up until July 1. NZTA said in January that speed limit changes happening as part of the rule would be implemented by July 1, 2025. Malone said if Hōhepa was a school 'we wouldn't even be having this discussion'. 'The guys have to have an intellectual disability to get cared for by Hōhepa, so you've got a lot of people without much road knowledge in place, so it's no different to a school,' she said. Malone said NZTA's lack of communication about the date the speed limit was frustrating. She had written to MPs Catherine Wedd and Katie Nimon, and Minister for Transport Chris Bishop. 'I got a blanket response from Chris Bishop saying that that's all the Labour speeds that were put down that 'we're putting back',' she said. 'It's almost Trump-ish you know, with him going 'whatever Biden did, we're reversing', well they're saying the same sort of stuff.' Labour Transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said National made a 'gimmicky election promise without listening to the communities affected by speed limit rises' and are 'failing to read the room when it comes to what the country wants'. Napier MP Kaite Nimon said National campaigned on the the speed limit reversal and the new speed limits would 'boost economic growth and productivity – allowing people and freight to get to where they need to, quickly and safely'. Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke's Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.
NZ Herald
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Bay of Plenty roads: SH2 speed limit to revert to 100km/h
State Highway 2's speed limit between Katikati and Te Puna will revert to its former speed of 100km/h by July 1. The speed change on the 24km of SH2 from south of Marshall Rd to east of Loop Rd follows recent public consultation, NZTA said in its latest corridor project update. 'Earlier this year we consulted to find out public support levels for keeping current speed limits for SH2 between Katikati and Te Puna. 'The majority of feedback received from the community and road users was not in support of retaining the lower speed of 80km/h for this route, with 61% in favour of the speed reverting to 100km/h.' NZTA said the speed reversal was in line with the Setting of Speeds Limits Rule 2024, which legalised the Government's expectation that speed limits on NZ roads would be managed in a way that supported economic growth, boosted productivity, and enabled people to get to where they were going quickly and safely.
