Six sections of Northland state highways will have their lowered speed limits reversed from July 1 following a Government announcement.
Six sections of Northland state highways will have their lowered speed limits reversed from July 1 following a Government announcement.
Lifting of the speed limits on six sections of Northland‘s state highways has been met with caution due to safety concerns around the “disrepair” of the region’s roads.
On Wednesday the Government announced the reversal of speed limit reductions on a large number of New Zealand roads, including parts of State Highway 1 in Northland, SH16 near Auckland and SH3 in Hamilton.
Affected roads in Northland are:
SH1 Kamo Bypass 60km/h to 80km/h. From 300m north of Puna Rere Drive to 40m north of Kamo Rd.
SH1 Kaitāia north 60km/h to 100km/h/70km/h. From 60m north of Wireless Rd to 220m north of North Park Drive.
SH1 Kaitāia 50km/h to 70km/h. From 220m north of North Park Drive to 65m south of North Park Drive.
SH1 Whangārei 60km/h to 70km/h. Western Hills Drive from 185m south of Manse St to 180m north of Selwyn Ave.
SH11 Te Haumi 50km/h to 80km/h. From 130m north of Smith Camp Rd to 90m south of Tohitapu Rd.
SH1 Moerewa 50km/h to 70km/h. From 60m east of Leaity St to 330m east of Sir William Hale Cres east.
The speed limits will be reversed to their previous limits by July 1.
Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said reducing speed limits could make travel faster times and improve supply chain efficiency “in theory”.
However, this needed to be offset with safety concerns, she said.
“We already know road safety is an issue in Northland and the cost to communities around road deaths and accidents is high.
“These are not Waikato expressways; our roads are in disrepair.
“Higher speeds could lead to more accidents.
“Until they improve the quality of the roads, increasing the speed limit is putting the wrong priority on it.”
Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leah McKerrow said reducing speed limits could make travel times faster but safety concerns needed to be considered.
The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 requires NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and local councils to reverse all speed limits lowered since January 2020 on several categories of roads back to their previous limits by July 1 this year.
Public consultation on this found 65% of people supported the reversing of the speed limits.
During his announcement, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the previous Government “was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads”.
“The coalition Government is all about making it easier for people and freight to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible, which will help drive economic growth and improved productivity.”
AA Northland District Council chairwoman Tracey Rissetto said roads “need to clearly signal to the driver what speed is safe and appropriate”.
“We need to be aware that speed is just one tool in the toolbox.
“Driving to the conditions and safe, well-maintained roads all contribute to keeping our roads safer.”
AA Northland District Council chairwoman Tracey Rissetto said the lower speed limits at SH11 Te Haumi and SH1 Kamo Bypass should have been retained.
Rissetto said she was looking forward to the planned maintenance work and project work taking place alongside areas where speed limits are being reversed.
However, the AA would rather the speed limits at SH11 Te Haumi and SH1 Kamo Bypass be retained, she said.
“The AA supported the current speed limit [at Te Haumi] because of lower speeds being required around two bends and the pedestrian/vehicle traffic along the beach.
“The SH1 Kamo Bypass had been set at 60 to reflect the KiwiRail line and turn off at Puna Rere Drive, which the council supported.”
NZ Couriers manager John Haile said speed limits are “an issue” for couriers.
“We are trying to get from A to B as quickly and safely as we can, so reinstating the old limits is going to help.”
The Government has also released a further list of 49 sections of state highway for public consultation “so local communities can have their say on keeping their current lower speed limit or returning to the previous higher speed”.
Public consultation on those sections begins tomorrow and will run for six weeks.
As for local road changes, councils have until May 1 to advise NZTA of the specified roads subject to reversal under the new rule.
The new rule requires reduced variable speed limits outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times.
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
