Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has undertaken a review of speed limits along State Highway 30 (SH30) between Tikitere and Whakatāne in an effort to save lives and prevent serious injuries from crashes along this high-risk road.
“We are proposing lower speed limits to make the road safer for everyone who uses it,” says Director of Regional Relationships David Speirs.
“Our analysis shows that the current range of speed limits on SH30 are not safe and appropriate for the road. Safe speeds save lives. When speeds are safe for the road, simple mistakes are less likely to end in tragedy,” says Mr Speirs.
“SH30 caters to a wide range of competing travel needs including tourists, cyclists and school children. In addition, crashes on this route can cause extensive delays and long detours if there are road closures.
“The deaths and serious injuries along this stretch of road have caused immeasurable grief and suffering for families and communities. It is more important that everyone gets to their destination safely, rather than trying to get there quickly.”
Tom Macky from Lake Rotoiti Community Association is keen to see SH30 made safer.
"Our Lake Rotoiti community has given widespread support for this opportunity to make dangerous sections of our roads safer, as population growth, traffic density and crash rates steadily increase,” says Mr Macky.
“It is an incredibly important step to reduce preventable tragedies just waiting to happen.”
In the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 10 people lost their lives and 73 were seriously injured in crashes on this section of SH30.
Safe speeds are critical to improving road safety, but it is just one part of our road safety strategy. Decisions on speed and infrastructure for this stretch of road are being made hand-in-hand.
Waka Kotahi is now formally asking for feedback from stakeholders and the public about proposals to change the speed limits along SH30 between Tikitere and Whakatāne.
Mr Speirs says this feedback will be considered by Waka Kotahi before it makes decisions on these proposed speed limit changes. The consultation period provides a month to give feedback on the proposed speed limit changes.
The formal consultation period runs until 18 February 2022.
Changing a speed limit is a legal process, so this step is when we show people a detailed proposed speed limit, which has been developed using the technical assessment and feedback from the engagement stage. During this consultation stage, we ask the public and stakeholders for any additional information that might have an impact on the final decision.
|
Location |
Current speed limit |
Proposed speed limit |
|
SH30: From approximately 353m east of SH30/SH33 Tikitere Junction to approximately 650m east of Curtis Road. |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
SH30: From approximately 650m east of Curtis Road to approximately 380m west of Lake Okataina Road. |
100km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From approximately 380m west of Lake Okataina Road to approximately 140m east of Lake Okataina Road. |
80km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From approximately 140m east of Lake Okataina Road to approximately 366m west of Te Urumahue Road. |
80km/h |
No change |
|
SH30: From approximately 366m west of Te Urumahue Road to approximately 420m east of Tamatea Street. |
80km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From approximately 420m east of Tamatea Street to approximately 905m west of Morehu Road West. |
100km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From approximately 905m west of Morehu Road West to 120m west of Oxford Road. |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
SH30: From 120m west of Oxford Road to 530m west of Matahi Road. |
70km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From 530m west of Matahi Road to 2460m west of SH2/SH34 Kawerau Junction West. |
100km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From 2460m west of SH2/SH34 Kawerau Junction West to 175m west of Huia Crescent. |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
SH30: From 175m west of Huia Crescent to 325m east of Te Teko Road. |
50km/h |
No change |
|
SH30: From 325m east of Te Teko Road to 100m north-east of Galatea Road. |
70km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From 100m north-east of Galatea Road to 185m south-west of SH2/SH30 Awakeri Junction West. |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
SH30: From 185m south-west of SH2/SH30 Awakeri Junction West to 410m north-east of the SH2/30 Awakeri Junction East. |
70km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH2: From 100m west of the SH2/30 Awakeri Junction West to 80m east of the SH2/SH30 Awakeri Junction East. |
70km/h |
60km/h |
|
SH30: From 410m north-east of the SH2/30 Awakeri Junction East to 310m west of the centre of the SH30/Gateway Drive/Phoenix Drive roundabout. |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
SH30: From 310m west of the centre of the SH30/Gateway Drive/Phoenix Drive roundabout to 100m north of the northern abutment of the Whakatāne Bridge. |
80km/h |
60km/h |
You can make a submission on the proposed changes by:
Feedback closes 5pm on Friday 18 February 2022.
