Deaths on Auckland roads halve over the past year

• Auckland Transport reports 27 road deaths in the year to July 2024, down from 60
• Dean Kimpton emphasises a focus on local roads, where 90% of the fatalities occur
• Road harm costs Auckland an estimated $2 billion annually

Fewer people are dying on Auckland’s roads, according to new figures compiled by Auckland Transport (AT).

Twenty-seven deaths were recorded in the year to July 2024, down from 60 fatalities in the previous 12 months.

These numbers are for all Auckland roads (including state highways).

AT Chief Executive Dean Kimpton said their focus was on local roads, where 90% of deaths and serious injuries occur.

The transport agency provides and maintains all of the Auckland region’s roads, except motorways and state highways.

Auckland Transport safety principal lead Ping Sim said they are cautiously optimistic the work they have been doing on safe infrastructure and speed limits, alongside record levels of road policing, have caused these deaths to fall.

Sim said it has been a focus of theirs over the past few years, with road harm costing Auckland an estimated $2b per year.

The statistics follow a national trend in declining deaths on our roads.

Nelson St in Auckland's inner city. Photo / Alex Burton

NZTA data from January to the start of September shows there were 234 deaths in 2022, 229 in 2023 and 184 deaths in 2024.

The Government is making changes to national road safety policy, including reversing the previous Labour Government’s blanket speed reductions on state highways and urban roads.

Many of the 3100 Auckland roads with speed reductions introduced in 2020 look set to be changed back.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said there would be exceptions, such as outside schools during drop-off and pick-up hours, on main streets in town centres, and in areas with strong evidence to support reduced speed.

Auckland Transport will have until the end of 2025 to reverse speeds.

The agency has also put forward its new speed management plan for approval.

The Regional Transport Committee agreed to submit a reduced scope plan to the NZTA Director of Land Transport for certification.

The agency said it had previously consulted on the plan in 2023, so this would only include changes related to the Government’s draft speed rule, such as variable speed limits outside school gates.

It said the plan also aligned with local speed management requests.