Frequently asked questions

In the 10 years between 2009 and 2018, 20 people died and 92 were seriously injured in crashes on State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson. Nineteen of these deaths, and 87 of the serious injuries, were on the 100km/h open road sections of SH6.

A further 5 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).

Reducing speeds is one change that we can make quickly which will make a difference straight away.

No matter what causes a crash, speed is always a factor in the severity. Put simply, the speed of impact can be the difference between walking away or being carried away from a crash. This is especially true when pedestrians or cyclists are involved.

Speed also reduces the available time to react to a mistake of yours or someone else’s making. The faster you are travelling, the less time you have.

View the map [PDF, 1.6 MB]

The speed review process involves a number of steps, including a technical assessment of the road to help determine what safe and appropriate speeds should be.

We looked at previous crash history, road characteristics, the average speed of vehicles, the number of vehicles a day using the road, changes in terms of housing, urban development, businesses, and other activity on the road.

Following the technical assessment, we engaged with local stakeholders including councils, schools, the police, the Automobile Association (AA) and other road user groups, initially as part of a Safe Roads Alliance. These organisations provided us with feedback and local knowledge on how people use the road as well as people’s concerns. This helped to determine if and what we formally consulted on for proposed speed limit changes.

During consultation we asked the community and road users for submissions on any external factors that we may need to be aware of when making our decision on safer speed limits. The consultation period ran for four weeks, closing on 12 November 2019. Once consultation closed, we considered feedback alongside our technical review process to make our decision on speed limit changes along SH6.

The consultation for proposed speed limit changes is not a vote - it is about seeking valuable local and community input so that we can consider wider factors and context in our decisions.

The new speed limits will help reduce the number of people dying and being seriously injured in crashes in the future.

Any proposal to drop speed limits is driven by the need to improve safety and reduce harm for everyone on our roads and ensure in coming years we do not have thousands of people dealing with a road tragedy, which could have been prevented or the harm minimised if people had been driving at a slower speed.

For more information about how we reached these decisions, please read our consultation summary report.

Consultation summary report [PDF, 514 KB]

Speed review process

In some locations we have updated street names and spellings, and in some locations the change has arisen because we have re-measured the distance between a street and the speed change location and have adjusted the distance by a small amount. Infrastructure requirements (e.g. the availability of power for variable speed limit signs at Hira also required some adjustment of distance). On the Blenheim side of Havelock the threshold has been moved out by 200m after additional consultation with local residents.

The new speed limits take effect on 18 December 2020.

The public will be notified of the new permanent speed limits on the Transport Agency website, through local advertising, and on social media. While installation of the new signs, markings and associated works will begin in November, the new speed limit signs will be visible from 18 December.

Yes. In October and November 2019, we formally consulted with the public on the proposed permanent speed limits and we received over 1000 submissions.

Consultation summary [PDF, 514 KB] 

Consultation submissions [PDF, 2.7 MB] 

In the 10 years between 2009 and 2018, 20 people died and 92 were seriously injured in crashes on State Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson. Nineteen of these deaths, and 87 of the serious injuries, were on the 100km/h open road sections of SH6.

A further 5 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).

A small change in speed makes a big difference, especially when cyclists or pedestrians are involved. Most crashes are caused by a number of contributing factors, but even when speed doesn’t cause the crash, it is most likely to determine whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed.

Speed is the difference between a correctable mistake and a fatal error. Every extra km/h increases the likelihood of someone having a crash. Regardless of what causes a crash, speed always plays a part. The faster you drive, the more likely you are to crash, and the more severe the outcome of that crash.

As your speed increases:

• the distance you need in order to stop increases
• there is a greater probability that you will be going too fast if you meet an unexpected change in road conditions
• there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are travelling.

The severity of injuries resulting from a crash is directly related to the impact speed of the vehicle – whether speeding was a factor in the crash, or not.

Our research shows that reducing speed limits has a small effect on journey times. For trips where the maximum speed was reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h on a 10km length of road, journey times increased by only about 30–48 seconds.

For local trips where the maximum speed was reduced from 50km/h to 40km/h, travel times increased by only about 11–42 seconds. To put this in context we know that even a 1km/h difference in speed can make a difference in whether someone survives a crash.

For SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson the new speed limits will have a minimal impact on travel times – we estimate the increase in travel time over the 110km route will be around 10 minutes.

While the introduction of safer speed limits will have some small impact on journey times, it will have a large benefit in terms of reducing the economic cost of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

A research project commissioned by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency found a drop in maximum speed travelled along certain routes from 100km/h to 80km/h increased travel times by around 10 percent and reduced fuel use by about 15 percent.

So, while there would be small increases in travel times with lower speed limits, these pale into insignificance when compared with the potential to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

An earlier Waka Kotahi report studied the combined impacts of changes in mean speeds to road safety risk, travel times and fuel use for heavy vehicles. It concluded that the ‘optimum’ speed for heavy vehicles, taking these three factors into account, would be around 80km/h (Max Cameron, 2012).

We understand the concern about driver frustration. There is a critical need to move freight, support industry and enable journeys that don’t take all day, and we acknowledge there is a balance to be found.

Any proposal to drop speed limits is being driven by one objective – reducing harm, and saving lives.

This isn’t just about protecting drivers. The changes we are proposing are also about protecting passengers, the school kids crossing the road, the residents waiting for a bus, the motorcyclists without the same protection as someone in a car, and the many people who walk, run, cycle or scoot on our roads and footpaths.

Slowing the traffic will make it easier for people to get onto and off the state highway, and if there is an intersection crash, it will be at a lower speed, reducing the chance of someone being killed or seriously injured.

Speed is just one part of a $1.4 billion investment over three years through the Safe Network Programme to make some of New Zealand’s most dangerous roads safer. Other work includes physical upgrades to state highways and local roads across the country, such as the installation of median and side barriers, the widening of shoulders and centre lines, intersection safety improvements and the installation of rumble strips.

SH6 between Blenheim and Nelson is 110km long and covers some challenging terrain. It has a lot of intersections, and crashes are spread widely across it. This means that making sure speeds are safe is the quickest and most effective way we can prevent deaths and serious injuries.

Everyone makes mistakes, but simple mistakes should not cost lives. To make New Zealand’s roads safer, we are working to improve every part of the transport system. This means safe drivers, safe roads, safe vehicles, and safe and appropriate speeds.

Lower speeds will make the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, cyclists and school children. In addition, implementing more school speed zones will reduce traffic speeds around areas where children are present at the start and end of the school day.

Lower speed limits on the Nelson side of the Whangamoa Saddle, and along the Haven waterfront, will make the road much safer when cyclists and other slower vehicles are present.

There are several infrastructure improvements underway in the top of the South. Specifically for SH6, this includes:

• increasing some shoulder widths will provide safety benefits for cyclists and all other road users
• changing some yellow no-passing lines to make it clearer where it is unsafe to overtake
• constructing a new roundabout at the SH62/SH6 intersection near Renwick.

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.

Multiple submissions provided feedback on the lowering of speed limits from 100km/h to 80km/h. In response, Waka Kotahi undertook another technical review of these sections of SH6. As a result, Waka Kotahi concluded that speed limits of 90km/h would be a safe and appropriate speed to implement on sections of the corridor between Renwick and Rai Valley.

The reduction to 90km/h is proposed to remain in place until June 2023. At this point the 90km/h limit will be reviewed to ensure it is achieving the desired reduction in deaths and serious injuries along the corridor.

Every road is different and, should speed limits be reviewed, it will be judged on its specific features. In this review, the average speeds, traffic volumes, road features and road characteristics of these parts of SH6 were considered.

As well as regular monitoring of the new speed limits along SH6 we will review the 90km/h speed limits in June 2023 to ensure they are achieving the desired reduction in deaths and serious injuries.