‘Yeah, nah’ to lower highway speed limits

It’s been a summer of change for drivers, with some state highways across Aotearoa having had their speed limit recently reduced.

It’s all part of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero vision – the aspiration that no-one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.

One of the changes affects a section of State Highway 1, just 190 metres long, in South Canterbury’s Winchester. The speed limit used to be 100kmh but has now been halved.

Then there’s the 30-kilometre chunk of SH2 between Katikati and Tauranga, where speed limits are now set at either 60kmh or 80kmh.

But by far the most substantial change is the 110km-long SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson. There, speed limits now never reach 100kmh and alternate mostly between 90kmh and 80kmh.

But the changes haven’t gone unnoticed by locals. ‘‘When’s 90[kmh] been a speed limit?’’ asked Seddon resident Moana Johnsen.

‘‘And then there’s 80[kmh], and then there’s 60[kmh] going up a hill that’s got an overtaking space?

‘‘Yeah, nah – it’s revenue-gathering, mate, revenue-gathering.’’

Johnsen made the SH6 journey four times over Christmas – and each time was frustrated at the new limits.

She said she was worried about the trend. ‘‘Might as well get my horse and cart out and trot up and down the road. If our roads are not up to 100kmh, then fix them.’’

But Waka Kotahi said ensuring speeds were safe was the quickest and most effective way to prevent deaths and serious injuries.

In a statement, an agency spokesperson said safe speed limits minimised the severity of crashes when they occurred.

‘‘[The] agency is currently identifying roads where reviewing speed limits could make a big difference in preventing deaths and serious injuries, and where communities are calling for change.’’

Road safety charity Brake NZ’s director, Caroline Perry, said many more roads needed to be looked at – not just state highways.

‘‘A lot of the more rural roads that are windy, narrow, single or dual lane, they’re just too fast for the conditions of the road.’’

The Gisborne District Council recently signalled its intent to lower speed limits.

It follows the reduction of all of Wellington’s CBD roads from 50kmh down to 30kmh last year.

But Perry said it was difficult for councils – which set the speed limits for all roads that aren’t state highways – to change speed limits. She wants to see the process simplified so it can happen quicker.

Waka Kotahi said it intended to make it easier for local authorities to change speed limits. – RNZ