The Government’s plan to raise speed limits to 110km/h and 120km/h will be disastrous for motorists travelling on Northland roads, road safety advocates say. Photo / NZME
The Government’s plan to raise speed limits to 110km/h and 120km/h will be disastrous for motorists travelling on Northland roads, road safety advocates say. Photo / NZME
Road safety advocates are concerned that the Government’s plan to hike speed limits to 110km/h and 120km/h will be disastrous for motorists travelling on Northland roads, while others praise the move as good for the economy.
The reversals will be made by July 1, 2025, and require speed limits that have been reduced since January 1, 2020, to be reversed on local streets, arterial roads and state highways.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the coalition Government’s draft speed limit rule would “enable new and existing Roads of National Significance to be travelled on at 110km/h where they are built to a high safety standard”.
RoadSafe Northland road safety co-ordinator Ashley Johnston said she was concerned about the change as 110km/h on any of Northland roads was “way too high”.
“From a safety perspective, I can’t tell you one road that should be driven at 110. There’s no way any road up here is safe enough for that speed.
“It’s fine driving in the Waikato on the expressway ... but our roads are not designed to be driven on at that speed.”
Under the Jacinda Ardern-led Government, lower speed limits and safety improvements were planned for up to 30 per cent of the country’s state highways over several years to combat the country’s high road toll.
In Northland, the speed limit across the region’s entire state highway network was set to be dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h in an attempt to reduce road fatalities.
Brown said reversing this would “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”.
Local streets outside schools would have a 30km/h variable speed limit during school travel times, and rural roads that are outside schools would have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less to keep young New Zealanders safe, Brown said.
RoadSafe Northland road safety co-ordinator Ashley Johnston says 110km/h on any of Northland's roads is “way too high”.
The Government is also seeking feedback from New Zealanders on enabling speed limits of up to 120km/h on Roads of National Significance that are built and maintained to safely accommodate that speed.
Under the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport released in March, the Roads of National Significance include a four-lane highway from Whangārei to Auckland.
Stages that will be prioritised are an alternative to the Brynderwyns, Whangārei to Port Marsden, and Warkworth to Wellsford.
“The previous Government’s untargeted approach slowed Kiwis and the economy down, rather than targeting high crash areas of the network,” Brown said.
Far North District councillor Ann Court, who holds the transport portfolio, said the move was “fantastic news”.
“The previous ones went way too far.”
As for some of Northland’s state highways and roads which were windy and not suited to high speeds, Court advised people to “drive sensibly”.
“The road rules state you must drive to the conditions.
“If the road is not in good shape at the moment, slow down. If the road is windy slow down, 100km/h is not a target.
“Where there is evidence there is a problem, we can still lower the speed limit and we should.
“We shouldn’t take this approach that if we lower it everywhere, everyone will behave.”
Far North District councillor Ann Court said the previous Government’s blanket speed limit reductions went “way too far”.
National Road Carriers Association chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers said the changes “will help make goods delivery faster”.
“Setting speed limits for Roads of National Significance of up to 120km/h and reversing speed limits for local streets, arterial roads and state highways will help to reduce travel times and therefore labour costs for freight operators and speed up the delivery of goods to stores and consumers.
“In some cases, it will mean operators will be able to extend the length of trips before having to make compulsory rest stops – which will be a game-changer.”
Road safety charity Brake is “extremely concerned” about the changes.
Brake New Zealand director Caroline Perry said it would be “a huge step backwards for road safety, likely resulting in more road trauma and costing the economy more”.
“Speed is a critical factor in all road crashes and casualties.
“The faster you’re travelling, the greater your stopping distance is, the less time you have to react to an unexpected hazard, and the bigger the impact in the event of a crash.
“In many crashes this is the difference between life and death.”
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
