The changes would see town centre speed limits in Huntly, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia and Tuakau set to 30 km/h. Photo / Dean Purcell
The changes would see town centre speed limits in Huntly, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia and Tuakau set to 30 km/h. Photo / Dean Purcell
Safer speeds on roads around where we live, work and go to school are behind Waikato District Council's latest round of proposed speed limit changes which would see its town centre speed limits restricted to 30km/h.
Consultation has opened on proposed amendments to the Speed Limits Bylaw 2011 and the district's residents have until January 23 to have a say on the proposed changes.
The council is proposing to change the speed limits on over 300 roads in the Waikato District, with the main focus areas being residential zones, school roads and town centres.
• Reducing some of our residential road speed limits in urban areas throughout the district to 40km/h for consistency • Reducing town centre roads in Huntly, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia and Tuakau to 30km/h • Reducing speed limits around our urban and rural schools for safety • Increasing some of our road speed limits for efficiency • Aligning the speed limits on roads shared with the Auckland boundary for consistency • Extending the 40km/h speed limit in the Te Kowhai area for pedestrian safety • Reducing the speed limit to 60km/h on Tamahere Drive between the country club and the SH1 Interchange, and Tauwhare Rd between Woodcock Rd and the SH1 interchange.
Council's senior transportation engineer Gareth Bellamy says the council has received requests from the community for further changes for safer speeds in and around residential areas, near schools, town centres and places where people work.
"Proposed speed limit changes usually bring up varying opinions from our communities but there is only one objective here, and that is to make our roads safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists," says Bellamy.
"We also have a duty to respond to central government's requirement to reduce road trauma on local roads. We encourage our communities in the district to have their say on these proposed speed limit changes."
There is an interactive map on this site that shows all the roads earmarked for change, as well as full list of roads in the Statement of Proposal.
Lower speeds for Karangahake Gorge this summer
Meanwhile, from Monday, December 20 the speed limit of a 600m section of State Highway 2 in the Karangahake Gorge, between Crown Hill Rd and School Rd, will be temporarily reduced to 50km/h.
A cyclist rides through the Karangahake Gorge. Photo / NZME
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says the short-term reduction from the normal 80km/h speed limit is being put in place to ensure the safety of motorists, as well as people walking and cycling through the popular Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway area during the busy summer holiday period and will remain in place over the Christmas/New Year break, when holiday traffic is at its peak.
The reduced speed limit area covers the State Highway 2/Crown Hill Rd intersection, as well as access to the Karangahake Reserve, close to starting points for popular walks in the area. Slower speeds through this area will help provide road users time to recognise and react to the environment, Waka Kotahi says.
Earlier this year, Waka Kotahi engaged with local communities on speed limits through the Karangahake Gorge. A majority of the community feedback was in favour of speed reductions for the safety of all users. A formal consultation on speed reductions on State Highway 2 from Mangatarata to Katikati (including Karangahake Gorge) will take place in 2022.
With the summer holiday period approaching Waka Kotahi reminds road users to plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable summer journey using the NZTA holiday and real time journey planner tools.
