Tararua District Council goes ahead with speed management plan

Tararua District Council may be placing signs like this around some local schools under the speed management plan.

A plan aimed mainly at slowing drivers around Tararua District’s schools has been approved by a council committee.

The council has been consulting with the community, and schools in particular, on the interim speed management plan, which impacts schools, creates buffer zones to the state highway, and legalises existing speed signage.

Transport manager Mark Allingham spoke on his report to the council at the October meeting of the Infrastructure, Climate Change and Emergency Management Committee.

He acknowledged that the topic of safer speeds was “incredibly contentious” with a lot of people, but he had a strong professional view that matched his personal view.

“The inconvenience to many for a small inconvenience to save one life I think is worth it.”

The plan covered off existing signs, legalising what was currently on the ground and buffer zones between the 100km/h where it met the state highway so that drivers could approach the correct speed.

Some schools, especially those along the state highway, would have a variable speed limit, while those on local roads would either have a permanent change to 30km/h or variable.

Allingham said the feedback received was generally the same, whether negative or positive in that speed signs weren’t enough to change behaviours and there were requests for other measures alongside speed zones.

“It’s our intention as we go forward once these are actually installed on a case-by-case basis we can actually review any of the other measures.”

He said the mandate was just to try and get the speed zones in and see how it would go with compliance from there.

Councillor Scott Gilmore raised a question around the advisability of the plan, given there was an indication from the incoming new Government that some changes would be made to the land transport rule.

“I wonder whether it would be wise to wait and see what the requirements are going to be - they may change in the next 100 days - before we sort of jump in and adopt something that perhaps we might have to relook at within a couple of months.”

Downer NZ project supervisor Wilson Duff said the prime minister-elect had indicated it was one of the things he would throw out.

He said the mandate now was that it had to be done by February to ratify it, which was “inside the 100 days anyway”.

“Personally I think do we really want to be pushing back on doing it around schools?”

Councillor Peter Johns asked if the speed limit of 30km/h in Vogel St, Woodville, outside Woodville School, would apply also on weekends.

He was advised that where the schools along the state highway were concerned, the limit would be variable and would only apply on weekdays during school terms, around the times children arrive at or leave school, using electronic signage that could be programmed.

Councillor Naioma Chase asked why preschools and kindergartens weren’t included in the plan and was told that schools were the first stage, and provided the plan was continued under the new Government, preschools, kindergartens, health facilities and CBDs would be looked at in the next stage.