Sweeping drop in speed limits

Hastings District Council is proposing widespread decreases in speed limits across the district, including a 30km/h speed limit for Havelock North CBD.

Hastings District Council is proposing sweeping speed limit drops across the district, including a 30km/h speed limit for Havelock North CBD.

But a rare speed limit increase proposal — an end to the 60km/h slow-down on Pakowhai Rd — already has some in the area up in arms.

In the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, council chief executive Nigel Bickle said the council had to implement safe and appropriate speed limits across the road network.

As a result, more than 70 roads are up for change, most of them rural.

Once more, one of the most controversial is likely to be Pakowhai Rd, which caused angst when it’s limit was dropped from 100km/h to 80km/h.

This time the council’s proposed removal of a 60km/h zone through Pakowhai, which has a school on a side road, is a terrible idea, a business owner says.

“It’s such a busy intersection, the modelling of it needs to be given more thought than the speed,” he said.

“The island is more a problem than the speed, 60km/h is the perfect speed limit. An increase in the speed would cause more problems than we already have.”

The council also proposes putting up speed warning signs on Pakowhai Rd from 150m northeast of Elwood Rd.

“It’s quite a built-up area, and we’ve had accidents on Elwood Rd,” he said.

The council also needed to look into the “diabolical” roundabout on Chesterhope Rd, he said.

“People treat it as an overtaking lane rather than a roundabout. It is surprising no one has been killed there yet.”

In Havelock North, the 30km/h speed limit for the CBD is an idea agreed to by the Havelock North Business Association Board.

Bickle said public requests and report recommendations from fatal and serious injury crashes tended to spur speed limit changes.

“Officers then undertake evidencebased research to determine safe and appropriate speed limit recommendations.”

Safe roads, he said, were essential for the community’s wellbeing.

All proposals go out for public consultation.

PHOTO / WARREN BUCKLAND Middle Rd, Havelock North, will have a traffic speed change from a 100km/h to an 80km/h limit.

PHOTO / WARREN BUCKLAND A truck travels along Pakowhai Rd in front of the Pakowhai School sign on Chesterhope Rd. Pakowhai Rd speed will increase from 60km/h to 80km/h.