Why review speeds?
Most crashes are caused by several factors. However, even when it is not the primary cause of the crash, speed is the factor most likely to determine whether anyone is killed, injured or walks away unharmed. Reviewing the speed limits and making sure they are safe and appropriate for the road is something we can do now to get towards our vision of an Aotearoa where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.
Are speed limits changing?
Changing speed limits is a legal process. We are currently at the formal consultation phase. This is where we proposed new speed limits having considered community feedback alongside our technical assessment. During formal consultation we ask the community for any additional information that might have an impact on the final decision.
Information on the new speed limits we’re proposing and how to have your say
Feedback closes Monday 12 December 2022.
Engaging with the community helps us understand how people feel about current speeds in the area, including on roads around their local school, marae, home, business or workplace.
This information helps when deciding if a speed limit change is the best thing to do to improve road safety, where new speed limits might begin or end, and if any other safety improvements might be needed. The feedback also helps decide if and what speed limit changes will be formally consulted on.
Find out more about safe and appropriate speed limits
What is a technical assessment?
A technical assessment of the road is carried out before we talk to the community and key stakeholders. This is how we find out about crash history, average vehicle speeds, volume of vehicles and development of surrounding areas. This helps to determine what safe and appropriate speeds should be.
Why don’t you invest more money in getting roads up to a higher standard?
A major shift is needed on many fronts to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads, from speed to driver education to road maintenance and safer vehicles.
It’s not a matter of choosing one solution over another. We need to take action in all these areas.
Safety solutions [PDF, 2.8 MB]
Waka Kotahi also spends approximately $19 million annually on State Highway road maintenance in the West Coast. This includes pothole repair, shoulder restoration, lifting road slumps and replacing sections of highway that are in poor condition.
Why bother with these changes when it’s bad drivers who are the problem?
Everyone makes mistakes, but simple mistakes shouldn’t cost lives.
Whether we’re late for work or dropping off the kids to school or sports or heading to the marae to see the whānau, everyday pressures can influence how we drive.
To make New Zealand’s roads safer, we’re working to improve every part of the transport system. That means safe drivers, safe roads, safe vehicles, and safe speeds.
Driver education and training
We also deliver a number of driver training and education programmes such as DRIVE and BikeReady and we work with the likes of Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD), the Ashburton District Road Safety Co-ordinating Committee and the Selwyn District Road Safety Sub-Committee to support community-based road safety initiatives.
- DRIVE(external link)
- BikeReady(external link)
- Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD)(external link)
These initiatives aim to influence road user behaviour and encourage the correct behaviours on our roads.
Our education initiatives and training
Vehicle safety
What we’re doing to improve vehicle safety
Why is this project a priority when there are other projects we would rather see happen?
This is a step towards Vision Zero for New Zealand, an internationally proven vision where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes. This means that no death or serious injury while travelling on our roads is acceptable, and that we need to build a road system that protects everyone from road trauma.
Our commitment to Road to Zero addresses the safety of the whole network with a range of strategies using a ‘Safe System’ approach. Where we can and where it is the right solution, we will review speeds, improve physical infrastructure or build new infrastructure and keep the existing network well maintained.
