Tauranga’s speed limit proposal met with warning from Transport Minister

The council is currently consulting on a proposed blanket speed reduction to 30 km/h in the city centre. Photo / John Borren

By Libby Kirkby-McLeod, RNZ

A proposal to permanently reduce the speed limit in Tauranga city centre has been met with a warning from the Transport Minister.

Simeon Brown said Tauranga City Council’s proposed speed reductions could be a waste of ratepayers money as a new speed rule set to be introduced by the government could reverse them.

The council is currently consulting on a proposed blanket speed reduction to 30 km/h in the city centre and a mix of variable and permanent speed limit reductions around schools and marae.

Brown said the Government did not support these types of blanket speed limit reductions.

“The Government’s view is that speed limit reductions should be targeted to high crash areas. As outlined in March, the new speed rule will reverse blanket speed reductions unless it is unsafe to do so,” he said.

Brown said under the new setting of speed limits rule, the Government would also require road controlling authorities like councils to undertake cost-benefit analysis.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Tauranga City Council manager of network safety and sustainability Anna Somerville said detailed economic analysis had not been undertaken on the proposed speed reduction to 30km/h in the city centre.

However, she did not think this would affect the council’s proposal.

“We have taken the policy direction into consideration and believe the proposed changes would not need to be changed under the new rule,” she said.

“Our speed management plan proposes to make this 30km/h speed limit permanent,” she said.

The Tauranga city centre has had a temporary 30km/h speed limit in place since October 2018.

Somerville said this was due to the significant number of projects underway in the city and a desire to keep it simple for people driving, and safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Priority One is the economic development agency for the Western Bay of Plenty and chief executive Nigel Tutt said he drives through the city centre every day.

Nigel Tutt, chief executive of Western Bay economic development agency Priority One. Photo / Alex Cairns

He thought the council’s proposed speed reductions were sensible and said businesses are much more interested in parking and city access.

“From a pragmatic point of view it’s pretty difficult to get down any of those roads at more than 30 anyway, so I would have thought that was about right,” Tutt said.

Simeon Brown said if the council moved ahead with the changes now it could result in a waste of ratepayers money.

“I encourage Tauranga City Council to consider the policy direction for the new rule that I expect to be in place before the end of the year.

“This will prevent ratepayer money being spent on speed limit changes now that may need to be changed under the new rule,” he said.