Doing away with ‘blanket approach’ to speed management

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The new National-led Government has scrapped the need for mandatory speed management plans that would have lowered state highway speeds on both SH2 and SH35.

Changes made this week remove mandatory requirements for road controlling authorities to implement speed management plans and remove deadlines for those road controlling authorities to submit these plans by March 29 next year.

“This will allow work to begin on a new rule to ensure that when speed limits are set, economic impacts —including travel times — and the views of road users and local communities are taken into account, alongside safety,” Transport Minister Simeon Brown said in a statement.

“The new rule will also implement variable speed limits on roads approaching schools during pick-up and drop-off times, rather than permanent reductions, to keep young New Zealanders safe when they are arriving at or leaving school.”

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick was very happy with the news.

“This is fantastic news and ensures a common sense approach is taken to road speed limits.

“Blanket approaches that lower speed limits affect productivity, costs and people’s ability to get about their business in a timely manner.  Of course there are places where lower speed limits are appropriate but this should be balanced in a better way than a blanket approach.

“I am delighted that the National-led coalition government has highlighted this as a priority and will make instant progress on the issue.”

A draft proposal for the Tairāwhiti speed management plan speed limits through the Ormond urban area of SH2 would have been reduced from 100kmh to 70kmh, while some areas near schools on SH35 would have dropped to as low as 30kmh during school drop-off and pick-up times.

Mr Brown will be writing to road controlling authorities throughout the country to notify them of the changes and to advise them that work has begun on the new rule.

“This allows them to stop work on current speed management plans until the rule is put in place.”