Why have you changed speed limits?
Both SH1 and SH57 are high-risk routes, and our technical assessment determined that the speed limits weren’t appropriate. Risks identified in our assessment and raised by the community included concerns with accessing the State Highways from local roads and residential areas, safety at intersections and across bridges, as well as concerns for the safety of pedestrians.
We have a responsibility for improving road safety, so we’ve made changes to ensure our speed limits fit the design and use of the road.
How were these speed limits decided?
The speed review process involves numerous steps that help determine the speed limits we propose at consultation.
We first complete a technical assessment which considers the road itself, the traffic volumes, the crash history, and the way people are currently travelling on the roads.
We then undertake informal engagement with road user groups, members of the public, councils, New Zealand Automobile Association, and New Zealand Police. The feedback we receive from engagement help to determine if and what we will formally consult on for proposed speed limit changes.
During consultation, we ask the community and road users for submissions on any external factors we may need to be aware of. The consultation period runs for a minimum of four weeks. Once consultation closes, we analyse the submissions and review our technical assessment.
The consultation for the proposed speed limit changes is not a vote, it’s to seek valuable local and community input so that we can consider wider factors and context into our decisions.
For more information on how we reached the decision for this speed review, please read our consultation summary reports:
This speed review was consulted under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017, and was completed under the transitional provisions of the Setting of Speed Limits 2022 Rule.
The speed review process Waka Kotahi follows when setting new speed limits on our state highways
