Project introduction

The NZ Transport Agency is working with Tasman District Council to improve safety by reducing the speed limits on State Highway 60, from McShane Road to Maisey Road and nine adjoining local roads in the Tasman District. The changes will take place from Tuesday 18 December 2018.

  • Estimated project dates

    Jul 2018–Aug 2018
  • Project type

    Safety improvements
  • Project status

    Completed

Project updates

New speed limits

Speed limits will be changed on the following:
State Highway 60 (SH60) between McShane Road and Maisey Road - from 100km/h to 80 km/h.

NameFromToCurrent speed limit (km/h)New speed limitExisting typical* travel speedsReason
SH60 Three Brothers roundabout Maisey Road Mostly 100, 80 in sections 80 80–84km/h High crash history, roadside hazards, challenging intersections, numerous access ways.
Lower Queen Street

Existing 80km/h

End at river 100 80 85km/h Increasing traffic from commercial and residential development. More access ways. High cyclist usage. Section includes a 30km/h 90-degree bend with a four-way intersection.
Lansdowne Road All   100 80 84km/h Section includes a 30km/h 90 degree bend with a four-way intersection onto Lower Queen Street. Increasing traffic from commercial development and increasing number of access ways.
Best Island Road All   100 80   A lack of shoulder width with sharp, out of context curves. Crash history confirms high-risk area. Speed limit should be consistent with Lower Queen Street and Lansdowne Road.
Barnett Ave All   100 60   Lack of shoulder width with sharp, out of context curves. The alignment doesn’t allow for safe travel at 100km/h. Road approaches residential area.
Blackbyre Road All   100 80   This road primarily provides access to industrial properties and is used by a large number of heavy commercial vehicles (20%). The relatively short road length (900m) means speeds are generally low.  Speed limit should be consistent with SH60.
River Road (Appleby) All   100 60   Lack of lane and shoulder width with a number of sharp, out of context curves. Crash history confirms high-risk area.
Redwood Road All   100 80 91km/h Used by a large number of tourists and recreational users. Speed limit should be consistent with SH60.
Research Orchard Road All   100 80   Access visibility onto this residential cul-de-sac is limited due to vertical curves. The short length (400m) and narrow width means speeds are generally low. Speed limit should be consistent with SH60.
Pukeko Lane All   100 80   The short length (220m) and alignment of this cul-de-sac means speeds are generally low. Speed limit should be consistent with SH60.

*The measured 85 percentile travel speed, which is the speed exceeded by only 15% of drivers. The majority of drivers are travelling slower than this.

More about the local roads

New speed limits were proposed for nine local roads that connect to SH60. This is because:

  • these roads are assessed under the New Zealand speed management guide as having a safe and appropriate speed of less than 100 km/h.
  • it could be unsafe, or not make sense, for drivers to be faced with a 100km/h sign on these side roads when turning off SH60 if the SH60 speed limit is reduced to 80km/h.
  • having the side roads with a speed limit higher than the highway could, in some cases, encourage more ‘rat running’ where drivers use local roads instead of the highway. This could further compromise safety as these local roads and the associated intersections are generally at a lower standard than the state highway.

Permanent new speed limits

Have your say - consultation has ended

Submissions for this consultation closed on Saturday 28 August 2018. 

Travel times

These changes will not greatly affect travel times. For example, it will only take 1 minute and 11 seconds of additional travel time to drive SH60 from Three Brothers to Maisey Road at the new speed limit of 80km/h.

Investigation and evidence

Reductions in speed limits are able to reduce the harm associated with crashes. In 2017, the Transport Agency conducted a review of the roads within the Tasman District where speed management was likely to have the greatest effect. Due to its crash history, the presence of roadside hazards and the number of challenging intersections and driveways, the section of SH60, between Three Brothers and Maisey Road was identified as being a high-risk route which would benefit from a speed management review.

Crash history* Three year crash record (2015 to 2017Ten year crash record (2008 to 2017
SH60 9km long corridor from Three Brothers to Maisey Road
  • 4 fatal crashes resulting in 11 casualties (deaths and serious injuries)
  • 2 serious crashes resulting in 2 casualties (serious injuries)
  • 6 fatal crashes resulting in 13 casualties (deaths and serious injuries)
  • 6 serious crashes resulting in 9 casualties (serious injuries)
Local road selections included in this review
  • 0 fatal crashes resulting in 0 casualties (deaths and serious injuries)
  • 2 serious crash resulting in 2 casualty (serious injuries)
  • 1 fatal crash resulting in 1 casualty (death)
  • 6 serious crashes resulting in 6 (serious injuries)

*Crash Analysis System (CAS)

Our partners on this project