Western Bay reviewing speed limits on all its roads

With some exceptions, a speed limit of 80km/h is being suggested for rural areas.

Lower speed limits around schools, on rural roads and in town centres are part of Western Bay’s draft Speed Management Plan 2023.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s plan, now out for public feedback, is in response to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero, the national road safety strategy aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries from crashes.

The Western Bay is a growing and increasingly busy community, and Mayor James Denyer says it is important to make sure roads are safer for everyone.

“As a council, we want to balance Waka Kotahi’s recommendations for significantly lower speed limits with a pragmatic approach that achieves community buy-in. We want to improve safety on our roads, whilst not excessively hindering their primary purpose, which is to move people and goods around efficiently,” he says.

Western Bay’s draft Speed Management Plan includes:

■ A focus on safer speeds around schools, including a variable speed limit of 30km/h at the drop-off and pick-up times and 50km/h at other times for urban schools and 60km/h for rural schools.

■ Maintaining a 50km/h speed limit in urban areas with the exception of schools, marae, town centres and community-identified areas.

■ A proposal for an 80km/h speed limit in rural areas with the exception of schools, marae, town centres and community-identified areas.

■ A proposal for town centres in Te Puke and Ōmokoroa to have a speed limit of 40km/h. Waihī Beach already has this speed limit and as Katikati’s main road is a state highway, Waka Kotahi has proposed a 40km/h speed limit which the council fully supports.

■ Prioritising areas with the highest need in the next three years, including schools, Māori communities, town centres, identified rural roads and community-identified roads.

There is no intention to raise any limits and where a current speed limit is lower than outlined in the broad categories, the lower limit will remain.

A range of criteria were used to determine appropriate speed limits for local roads, including the safe speeds identified by Waka Kotahi, community feedback and local knowledge through the Your Place Tō Wāhi consultation earlier this year, and ongoing conversations with schools, Māori communities and community boards.

“We listened to the strong community feedback and took this into account when suggesting some lower speed limits. We want to improve the safety on and around our roads, while making sure local people and commercial vehicles can move around our district efficiently,” Denyer says.

“These conversations have guided our thinking, but before we go any further and begin to make these proposed changes, we want to check in with you and see whether we’ve got the balance right. Have we missed anything?”

The Western Bay Speed Management Plan only applies to the local road network. Waka Kotahi has developed an interim Draft Speed Management Plan for the State Highway network.

Consultation is open until November 23.