Richmond traffic tipped to double
Daily vehicle movements along Lower Queen St are tipped to double over the next 10 years as about 1200 planned homes are built at Richmond West.
Experienced traffic engineer Gary Clark said the completion of the Richmond West Development Area was expected to generate about 12,000 additional vehicle movements a day on top of about 11,000 already travelling along the increasingly busy road. ‘‘So, there’s going to be a doubling of traffic on Lower Queen St,’’ Clark last week told Tasman District councillors.
Clark was speaking on behalf of his client, Richmond West Development Company Ltd, to highlight concerns about the future needs of residents of the settlement, which he said was being developed at a ‘‘rapid pace’’.
Originally earmarked for a mixture of industrial, mixed-use and residential activities, most of the land would now be developed for residential use under a special housing accord.
In a document he presented to the meeting, Clark says the rate of change is faster than expected. ‘‘Based on current projections, the land will be mostly developed within seven years.’’
The development is expected to lead to noticeable increases in traffic along McShane Rd as well as Lower Queen St.
Clark recommended that the council include a reduction in the speed limits on McShane Rd, from 80kmh to 60kmh, and on Lower Queen St, from 60kmh to 50kmh, in its next round of speed reviews.
Tasman District mayor Richard Kempthorne on Monday said the council could consider changes to speed limits at any stage. Regular surveys were made to determine whether a ‘‘road is the right speed’’.
Changing a speed limit was reasonably straightforward, he said.
The discussion comes as the council proposes a reduction in the speed limits along 67 other roads across the district. Those suggestions are due to go out for public consultation on Friday with submissions set to close on November 1.
Speed limits of 50kmh or 60kmh have been recommended for 41 rural roads, due to residential development.
Reductions from 100kmh to
80kmh have been proposed for many roads, including sections of the
Motueka Valley
Highway and River Terrace Rd as well as Waiwhero
Rd and College St,
Gibbs Valley,
Hoddy, Jeffries,
Lindup and Telenius roads.
It is recommended that the limit on Dovedale
Rd between Neudorf Rd and Dovedale Cemetery drop from 100kmh to 60kmh, past the school, hall and
Neudorf Rd intersection.
A drop from
50kmh to 30kmh is proposed for a section of Edward St at Wakefield and Martin Farm Rd at Kaiteriteri.
A section of Ellis St at Brightwater is earmarked for a proposed reduction from 50kmh to 40kmh.
Kempthorne said lower speed limits were suggested for roads that had been identified as providing the greatest opportunity to reduce deaths and serious injuries.
In addition, lower limits were proposed for other roads to address inconsistencies in current speed limits, reduce the severity of crashes on some roads that had a poor safety record, respond to growth and development, and recognise wider community support for changes on some roads.
‘‘Research shows an undeniable relationship between speed and road safety,’’ Kempthorne said. ‘‘There is no other risk factor that has a more powerful impact on accidents or injuries than speed.’’
Road safety had deteriorated over the past three years nationally and in Tasman District, he said.
‘‘We want to reverse that trend and make sure our residents and visitors can go about their daily lives in Tasman District safely, returning home to their loved ones once they have finished their journeys,’’ Kempthorne said. ‘‘That’s what reducing speed limits is about.’’
‘‘There is no other risk factor that has a more powerful impact on accidents or injuries than speed.’’ Tasman District mayor Richard Kempthorne