The NZ Transport Agency is proposing to lower the speed limits on State Highway 16 either side of Kaukapakapa Village to improve safety and respond to the increasing traffic in the area. It’s now seeking feedback from the community and those who travel through the area to the proposed changes.
Auckland Highway Manager Brett Gliddon says new residential development and population growth in the area has changed the way people use the state highway and the roads around it.
“There are now more vehicles travelling on this section of road and using it to access other roads in the area and that’s making it more difficult to make turns into and from the state highway.”
“The community has told us they want to see the speed limit reduced and our review shows lower speed limits will be safer for people living and travelling along this road.”
The reduced speed limit will also make it safer for the growing number of cyclists and pedestrians. The proposed speed reductions cover three separate sections of the highway.
Under the proposals the speed limit north of the village will be reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h between Kanohi Road and Moses Road. This will make it safer for people turning on and off the state highway into and out of side roads.
South of the village the proposal is to extend the current 50km/h zone a further 150m to a point 270m south east of Opoto Road which will make it safer for traffic entering and exiting the Fire Station and local school.
An 80km/h speed limit would then be in place from east of Opoto Road to near Henley Road. This would be a reduction from the current 100km/h limit.
The Transport Agency uses a Safe System approach to road safety, which maintains that while some mistakes on the road are inevitable, deaths and serious injuries are not.
“By making the road and roadside more forgiving of human error it will help reduce the risk of crashes happening and limit their severity when they do,” says Brett Gliddon.
If the proposals are supported by the community during the consultation period the Transport Agency would then set the new speed limits by making a change to the speed limits bylaw.
