Hamilton City State Highway speed reviews open for consultation

Hamilton City SH1, SH3 and SH26 speed consultation form.

The public is being invited to have their say on safer speed limits on three state highways within Hamilton.

Public consultation opens today on Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's proposed changes to speed limits on State Highways 1, 3 and 26 within Hamilton City.

The SH3 proposals would directly affect Te Awamutu motorists driving to and from the city.

The agency says making sure speed limits are safe and appropriate for the road is one of the best things Waka Kotahi can do to help prevent deaths and serious injuries.

"No matter what causes a crash, speed is always a factor in the severity. Put simply, the speed of impact can be the difference between walking away or being carried away from a crash," director regional relationships Steve Mutton says.

"There have been 10 people killed and 60 seriously injured in crashes on these roads in the 10 years between 2009 and 2018. In 2019, the Waikato region had the highest number of road deaths in the country and we need to do something to turn this around.

"There are many cyclists, pedestrians and a greater mix of vehicle types using the state highway network in this urban environment, which creates safety issues for everyone. Ensuring safer speed limits is a relatively simple way to help reduce those safety risks for all road users."

Hamilton City Council manages and implements speed limit changes on local roads within the city, while Waka Kotahi manages speed limit changes for the state highway network.

The two organisations have been working together on safety including speed management. Hamilton City Council's speed management plan is progressively being rolled out across the city.

This speed review on the state highways in the urban area by Waka Kotahi is consistent with the council's approach to speed on the local roads.

At a recent Infrastructure Operations Committee meeting, Hamilton City councillors had the chance to debate the proposed changes and were generally supportive of the proposal by Waka Kotahi. Council will be making a submission during the consultation period which closes on August 21

Formal public consultation on the proposed changes to speed limits on SH1, SH3 and SH26 will run from until August 21.

Further information and online options to make submissions on these proposals can be found on www.nzta.govt.nz/hamilton-city-speed-review