Rotorua MP Todd McClay has hit out at speed limit rules. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua MP Todd McClay has hit out at speed limit rules. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua’s MP has slammed a mandate that could lead to speeds on the majority of the city’s urban streets being set to 30km/h, claiming “a child on a pushbike would be breaking the law”.
Rotorua Lakes Council has opened public consultation on its draft Speed Management Plan 2023. It describes in its consultation document that while people can have a say on some proposals, it could not change the national mandate for the speed to be 30km/h around schools.
The rule was part of the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero initiative and aimed to set “appropriate” speeds around schools. Schools and the council could determine this area, whether it was a road running past a school gate or a wider area including roads with a “higher volume of active-mode travel”, the agency’s website said.
Council staff recommended applying the new limit to a 1km radius around schools as, while this was not the smallest it could be, it was internationally recognised as a manageable walking distance for children.
It would mean 75 per cent of the city area would be 30km/h - previously labelled “flat-out dumb” and an example of “overreach” by two Rotorua councillors.
Local streets and CBD streets would also be 30km/h, as would urban connectors such as Sunset Rd outside schools.
Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting on Tuesday, Rotorua MP Todd McClay said he knew of no significant evidence that 50km/h was causing problems and said, in his view, there was nothing to support that what was proposed would improve safety.
The light green area indicates the area and streets a radius of 1km around Rotorua schools would cover. Graphic / Rotorua Lakes Council
“What it will do is slow down all of Rotorua,” he said.
In his view:“A child on a pushbike would be breaking the law.”
The National Party MP was aware of a number of councils refusing to consult on the change, not considering it a priority, and said National would reverse the rules if it won the election in October..
“I know many of our councillors are frustrated they have to do this.”
He said he believed what was proposed would only create confusion and frustration and the priority should be on fixing potholes.
In a response to Local Democracy Reporting, Transport Minister David Parker said councils are the road controlling authorities for local roads within their boundaries.
“As such, they are responsible for reviewing and setting speed limits on their own local road networks.”
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson reiterated this, and said the new legal framework made it “easier for councils to set safe and appropriate speed limits on their roads”.
“There is a very strong evidence base which demonstrates that in the event of a crash, regardless of its cause, the speed of impact is the most important factor influencing whether people survive, or how seriously they are injured.
“That is particularly true for crashes when a pedestrian is struck by a motor vehicle, and even more so when the pedestrian is a child.”
They said a pedestrian hit at 30km/h had a 5 per cent chance of dying, compared with 40 per cent at 50km/h. Hit at 70km/h, 96 per cent of pedestrians will die.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said while the council was not comfortable with a blanket approach “to the drastic reduction of speed limits”, it recognised the need to improve road safety in areas such as schools and the CBD.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell. Photo / Andrew Warner
“[The] council is committed to delivering safe communities and reliable infrastructure. Health and safety will always be a priority but there is also a need for decisions that are practical and make sense.
“We are required to consult and this is an opportunity for the community to express their views. Community feedback will inform the final plan that we’ll recommend to the Regional Transport Committee and Waka Kotahi.”
She said there were other ways to improve safety on the roads and she would advocate for better maintenance of the roading network from the Government.
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environmental solutions deputy chief executive Stavros Michael said the council was required to develop a 10-year draft speed management plan which will then feed into a draft regional plan that will also go out for consultation.
Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist for four years.
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air
Clarification
Devon St has been removed as an example of an urban connector where the 30km/h speed limit would apply outside schools as it does not have a school.
