Waka Kotahi is reviewing and proposing changes to many state highways across the country in response to our high road toll and as part of a national strategy to eventually reduce road deaths to zero.
The agency’s full 2024-27 State Highway Speed Management Plan, likely to propose lower speed limits and safety improvements on up to 30 per cent of the state highway network, is expected to be released for public consultation in June.
Waka Kotahi also has an internal database on state highways, called Mega Maps, which shows the current speed limit on most New Zealand roads is higher than the “safe and appropriate” speed limit, based on risk, community wellbeing and road design.
Some roads have been marked as “high benefit” for safety if the speed limit was lowered to the safe and appropriate limit.
Although this High Benefit Speed Management Framework is not a speed limit change proposal in itself, the Herald understands it underpins the analysis roading authorities will use to create future speed plans.
If all of the proposed speed limit changes that were marked as “high benefit” in Mega Maps were implemented, a Herald analysis found they would add between three to four minutes to every hour travelled on key holiday routes.
Two to three minutes: ‘Herald’ analysis of travel time impacts
The following analysis includes the travel time impacts on some key holiday routes in New Zealand if all the safe and appropriate speeds in Waka Kotahi’s High Benefit Speed Management Framework were implemented.
It’s important to note that the current average driving speed is not much higher than the proposed speed limits, because many drivers already travel below the current speed limit.
Estimated travel times are based on the difference between the current average driving speed and the proposed new speed limits.
Auckland to Pauanui
Just under 60km of the 150km journey from Auckland to Pauanui has been earmarked in Waka Kotahi’s high-benefit plan.
- Journey time: Two hours.
- Length: 150km.
- Length of road affected by proposed changes: 58km.
- Travel time impact: Three to four minutes longer.
Auckland to Paihia
Eighty-six of the 228km between Auckland and Northland’s Paihia have been included in the high benefit plan. These changes would add between five and seven minutes to the journey.
- Journey time: Three and a half hours.
- Length: 228km.
- Length of road affected by proposed changes: 86km.
- Travel time impact: Five to seven minutes longer.
Hamilton to Raglan
Almost all of the route from Hamilton to Raglan has been included in Waka Kotahi’s high benefit plan, but if all these changes were implemented, a Herald analysis shows they would be expected to add less than two minutes to the overall travel time.
- Journey time: 34 minutes.
- Length: 40km.
- Length of road affected by proposed changes: 36km.
- Travel time impact: One minute 40 seconds longer.
Christchurch to Motueka
Between Christchurch and Motueka, 157km of the 420km journey is marked as high benefit. If all speed limits were amended, the changes are expected to increase travel time by between 11 and 14 minutes.
- Journey time: Five hours 20 minutes.
- Length: 420km.
- Length of road affected by proposed changes: 157km.
- Travel time impact: 11 to 14 minutes longer.
Taupō to Gisborne
The more than five-hour trip between Taupō to Gisborne would be made between eight and 11 minutes longer if all of the speeds marked as high benefit by Waka Kotahi were changed.
- Journey time: Four hours and 15 minutes.
- Length: 330km.
- Length of road affected by proposed changes: 116km.
- Travel time impact: Eight to 11 minutes longer.
Hamilton man Ben Warren knows the road to Opito Bay, Coromandel like the back of his hand. He has been driving the road for years, either delivering boats as his job or visiting the family bach.
Parts of his journey from Hamilton to the Coromandel have been included in the high-benefit plan as having a posted speed limit of 100km but a safe and appropriate speed of 80km per hour.
The three-hour journey, from Hamilton to Opito Bay, via the east side of Coromandel, is expected to take seven and 8.5 minutes longer if the high-benefit changes were implemented on the 139km of the 205km route.
Warren doubted a speed limit reduction would have any effect on 25A between Kōpū to Hikuai because there were only a few places you could get to 100km.
A bigger issue was slower, inexperienced drivers holding up traffic behind them and he was concerned a lower speed limit might make them less inclined to pull over.
He said the recent addition of slow vehicle bays in the past few years had “made a real difference to people’s frustration”.
“When I’m towing a boat, I pull into pretty much every one … I get a lot of thanks. If I didn’t pull into one, I think [the drivers behind me would be pretty frustrated].”
“Getting slow cars to actually use the slow vehicle bays would be perfect.”
