Tauranga CBD speed limit to drop to 30km/h

The area the 30km/h speed limit will apply to. Graphic/Tauranga City Council

Tauranga City Council is imposing a 30km/h speed limit on the CBD due to all the construction projects underway.

The new speed limit will take effect from Monday 29 October 2018. It will apply between First Avenue and McLean Street, and between Cameron Rd and the waterfront. Cameron Rd will remain at 50km/h.

The council said in a statement emailed to media just before 5pm todaythat it wanted to make one consistent speed limit "to help simplify construction sign requirements and to keep things simple for people who are driving and safer for people who are walking and biking."

City Transformation chairman councillor Larry Baldock, said that this makes sense for a growing city.

"This is a sensible move for our city centre, and aligns to what is happening in other centres across New Zealand.

"A permanent 30km/h speed limit has been successful in Mount Maunganui, and we expect that there will be more conversations about establishing lower speeds for town centres in the future," he said.

The new speed limit will start out as a trial, and be reviewed after a year.

The council said that if the speed limit were to be permanently implemented after this time, it would need to go through a public consultation process. This trial has been approved under the code of practice for temporary traffic management.

The council was working on an "action plan" to minimise disruption to people using the CBD during the next few years.

"Our city centre is a hive of development activity. We acknowledge it's a disruptive time. All this work is really going to pay off for Tauranga in the long run," Baldock said.

"It's a tough time right now for some of our small businesses. As these projects take shape, I'm confident we will soon see more business, more activity and more people coming to work, live and play in the heart of the city."