Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has confirmed that new permanent speed limits and variable speed limits for school zones will be introduced on State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson from Friday, 18 December 2020.
The decision follows formal consultation in 2019 on a proposal to introduce safer speed limits along this high-risk corridor. In the ten years between 2009 and 2018, 20 people were killed and 92 were seriously injured on SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson. Of these, 19 of the deaths and 87 of the serious injuries were in areas with a 100km/h speed limit.
A further five people have died in crashes on the highway in 2019 and 2020 and all deaths occurred on 100km/h sections. (Please note, 2019 and 2020 data is not yet complete.)
The introduction of safer speed limits is just one of the ways Waka Kotahi is seeking to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on SH6, including improvements to existing infrastructure.
Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland says the changes will make SH6 safer for everyone who uses it and improve safety for the many schools and communities on the highway between Blenheim and Nelson.
“We are utterly focused on reducing injuries and saving lives, and no matter what causes a crash, speed is always a factor in the severity of the crash outcomes,” he says.
“These safer speed limits will not only make our roads easier to access at key locations, the key point is that they will reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on SH6. It will mean more people safely reaching their destinations, fewer people suffering serious injuries from crashes, and fewer families grieving for lost loved ones.”
More than 1000 formal submissions were received during the consultation process, which were then analysed and considered alongside safety assessments before a decision was made.
The changes will reduce the existing 100km/h limits to 80km/h in places, introduce new 90km/h speed limits on appropriate sections of state highway, and introduce two new variable school speed zones. Three existing advisory school speed zones on the route will remain unchanged.
The 90km/h limits are proposed to remain until June 2023, when they will be reviewed to ensure they are achieving the desired reduction in deaths and serious injuries.
“We thank everyone who provided a submission and feedback on the proposed changes. We have listened to the community throughout this process,” says Mr Harland.
“Every road is different, and every speed review considers what is safe and appropriate for that road including average speeds, traffic volumes and road characteristics. This process has included an extensive review of this complicated corridor, and we thank the community for their patience while we worked to identify safe and appropriate limits.”
Contractors will begin installing new signage and undertaking road widening in places over the coming weeks. The new speed limits will take effect from Friday, 18 December 2020.
|
Location |
Existing speed limit |
New speed limit from 18 December 2020 |
|
400m west of Rose St, Blenheim to 335m west of Jacksons Rd, Woodbourne |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
340m west of Jacksons Rd, Woodbourne to 130m east of SH6/SH63 Intersection, Renwick |
80km/h |
No change |
|
130m east of SH6/SH63 Intersection to 250m north of Gee St, Renwick |
50km/h with a 40km/h school zone |
No change |
|
250m north of Gee St, Renwick, to 440m south of Mahakipawa Road, Havelock |
100km/h |
90km/h |
|
440m south of Mahakipawa Road to 60m south of Kavanagh Road, Havelock |
70km/h |
50km/h |
|
60m south of Kavanagh Road to 300m north-west of Clive St, Havelock |
50km/h with a 40km/h school zone |
No change |
|
300m north-west of Clive St, Havelock to 40m west of Wakamarina Rd, Canvastown |
100km/h |
90km/h |
|
40m west of Wakamarina Rd to 260m west of Tapps Rd, Canvastown |
100km/h |
90km/h with a 60km/h variable school zone |
|
260m west of Tapps Rd, Canvastown to 320m south of Pelorus Bridge (southern abutment) |
100km/h |
90km/h |
|
320m south of southern abutment of Pelorus Bridge to 320m north-east of the northern abutment of Pelorus Bridge |
100/50km/h in Dec/Jan |
60km/h |
|
320m north-east of the northern abutment of Pelorus Bridge to 340m north of Hills Rd, Rai Valley |
100km/h |
90km/h |
|
340m north of Hills Rd to 180m north of Bryants Rd, Rai Valley |
60km/h with a 40km/h school zone |
No change |
|
180m north of Bryants Rd, Rai Valley to 770m north of Whangamoa Saddle Summit |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
770m north of Whangamoa Saddle Summit to 280m north of Teal Valley Rd |
100km/h |
60km/h |
|
280m north of Teal Valley Rd to 25m south of Lud Valley Rd, Hira |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
25m south of Lud Valley Rd to 105m south of Cable Bay Rd, Hira |
80km/h |
80km/h with a 60km/h variable school zone |
|
105m south of Cable Bay Rd, Hira to 440m north-east of Allisdair St, Atawhai |
100km/h |
80km/h |
|
440m north-east of Allisdair St to 100m south-west of Atawhai Cres north, Atawhai |
80km/h |
60km/h |
|
100m south-west of Atawhai Cres north, Atawhai to 250m north-east of Trafalgar St, Nelson |
100km/h |
80km/h |
View larger image of map [PDF, 1.6 MB]
This speed review is aligned to New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy, Road to Zero 2020–2030 and a programme of work delivering safety improvements on our highest risk intersections and roads across New Zealand. Through these safety improvements, Waka Kotahi aims to prevent the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
More information about speed management and Road to Zero:
