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This research was commissioned in 2012 with the objective of calculating the optimum speeds for six categories of New Zealand state highways:

1. Motorways/Expressways (divided four-lane) roads (435 km with 26,611 vehicles/day)
2. High Volume National Strategic (undivided) roads (371 km with 12,817 vehicles/day)
3. Straight National & Regional Strategic roads (2,825 km with 4,764 vehicles/day)
4. Winding National & Regional Strategic roads (343 km with 4,478 vehicles/day)
5. Straight Regional Connector & Distributor roads (4,920 km with 1,829 vehicles/day)
6. Winding Regional Connector & Distributor roads (1,118 km with 1,850 vehicles/day).

The findings of this report depend on the functional relationships between speed and road trauma, travel time, air pollution emissions and vehicle operating costs, the assumptions made, and the input parameters. The sensitivity of the findings to variations in these factors has been tested only to a limited extent.

For more detailed information refer to the full report below.

Keywords: safe, safety, speed, optimum, time, travel, value, air pollution, vehicle operating cost