Taranaki speed reviews – SH45, SH44, SH3 and SH3A

Waka Kotahi has been identifying roads where reviewing speed limits could make a big difference in preventing people being killed and seriously injured, and where communities are calling for change. 

This speed review focusses on:

• SH45 New Plymouth to Hāwera  (Surf highway)
• SH44, SH45 and SH3 in New Plymouth
• SH3 New Plymouth to Hāwera
• SH3A Sentry Hill to Inglewood.

The Taranaki region is situated in the central North Island.  It is somewhat isolated with State Highway 3 providing the key transport link for freight and tourism in and out of the region.  SH45 provides access to the coast and is used for more tourist-based trips.

With a population of around 123,000, the region has a strong export-based economy and is rapidly growing.  With that in mind Waka Kotahi’s primary focus for the region is on improving access, and on ensuring the regions highway network is resilient, safe and enables reliable journey times.

Taranaki also has a long history of road crashes, particularly on SH3 between Bell Block and Waitara, and on SH3 between New Plymouth and Hāwera and further south.

We would like to know what you think about the current speed limits on the state highways we are reviewing. Do the existing speed limits feel safe for the way that people use the road?  Do the existing speed limits affect your community?  What do you think would be a safe speed limit?

We want people to share their thoughts on speeds on these state highways, including around places like local schools, marae, businesses, homes and workplaces.

We want everyone who uses our roads to get to where they’re going safely. To save lives and prevent serious injuries, we can set safer speed limits.

• The safety features of a road and the speed vehicles travel on it influence both the risk of a crash and whether it is survivable.
• These roads are used for everything from commuting, to freight, to tourism and there are a variety of road users in the Taranaki region. Ensuring speeds are safe and appropriate helps to protect other road users including pedestrians and cyclists.
• We need to adapt to changing road safety standards, which involves reviewing speed limits to ensure they continue to be appropriate for the road.

Taranaki speed reviews information sheet [PDF, 2.6 MB]

We’re not proposing any new speed limits at this stage of the review. All of the feedback we receive will be considered, alongside a technical assessment for the corridors. This information will then be used to propose any new speed limits, which we will then formally consult on with the community. We expect to be completing the consultation phase in early to mid-2022.

Speed review areas and existing speed limits:

Waka Kotahi is also proposing safety improvements on SH3 between New Plymouth and Egmont Village.

Investigations into improving the safety of this 9.75km stretch of highway began in 2018. Since then, we’ve been exploring improvement opportunities and speaking with those who could be directly affected.

Improvements being proposed include 8.35km of median barrier, roundabouts at Mangorei and Kent Roads, two other safe turning opportunities and removing right turns out of Junction Street.

Any changes to speed limits on this section of SH3 will be appropriate for the road after the infrastructure improvements have been made.

Find out more on the proposed safety improvements