Speed limit changes... to exactly the same in Waihola

Waihola residents are disappointed that the 70kmh speed limit for their town has been retained by NZTA. Photo / Gerard O'Brien

More than a year after the NZ Transport Agency said it would start work on lowering the speed limit through a busy town on State Highway 1, the community has a new set of speed limit signs - which display precisely the same speed.

The speed signs in the South Island town of Waihola were replaced last week, leading locals to hope the limit had been dropped from 70km/h to 60km/h, as promised. But they were disappointed.

In April last year the NZTA said it would start work on cutting the speed limit through Waihola in a month. The move was met with relief in the small community, 40km south of Dunedin, where locals say SH1 is getting busier and busier.

But 14 months later nothing has happened apart from the signs' replacement with more of the same, something the NZTA says is due to maintenance issues: the signs need to be "easily readable at all times".

NZTA senior safety engineer Roy Johnston said last week that "early engagement" on the speed reduction proposal for Waihola was going ahead, but the speed change proposal had not been through public consultation.

"The Transport Agency is hopeful that this process will be started in coming weeks and completed before summer with signs changed accordingly, once the speed change has been formally gazetted."

But Waihola Looking Forward group chairman Stu Michelle said the organisation had written to the NZTA two or three times about the issue.

The last Waihola Looking Forward meeting recently received a response, but Michelle said it did not make much sense. On communication with the NZTA, he said "we just laugh now".

He got "all excited" when he saw the signs were being changed, but "lo and behold, if they didn't put up a brand new 70km/h sign".

Michelle said the highway continued to get busier, meaning Waihola continued to become less safe.

NZTA system manager Graeme Hall said the organisation's safety team had been working on the larger Mosgiel to Balclutha highway safety project in the last year.

"This work is advancing now and the Waihola speed review, proposed separately to the highway safety projects, is also now progressing."

The NZTA regretted the expected timing for the Waihola speed review had not been met.