Taking it slowly: speed cuts and reviews for Porirua, Kāpiti and Wellington

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

Wellington City Council will be reviewing the CBD speed limit next year.

Things are slowing down in the lower North Island.

Councils in the Wellington region are choosing to cut their speed limits; eight Porirua roads are set to have their limits slashed and 81 Kāpiti roads will be reviewed early next year.

Eight Porirua roads are set to have their limits slashed and 81 Kāpiti roads will be reviewed

In Wellington, lowering the central city speed limit would be further considered next year, a Wellington City Council spokeswoman said.

The cuts follow the dialling down of 40 Kāpiti roads earlier this year and the possibility of a 30kmh slow zone for the old state highway through Waikanae.

Paekākāriki Hill Road had its speed limit reduced earlier this year.

Porirua's rural roads will drop from 100kmh to 70kmh (File)

* Sign changes before public consultation finished

* Speed limits to drop on 40 Kapiti Coast roads**,

In Porirua, the rural roads surrounding State Highway 58 will likely go from 100kmh to 70kmh following a review by Porirua City Council.

Safety was the main reason for the review, as was the speed reduction of SH58 – a road that links Porirua with the Hutt Valley – which saw a drop from 100kmh to 80kmh in September.

Sixty-three per cent of the 1405 submitters opposed the consulted move to drop the speeds to 60kmh: a proposal supported by the NZ Transport Agency.

Earlier this month, councillors voted to reduce the speed limits to 70kmh, Porirua City Deputy Mayor Izzy Ford said.

'I think this is a compromise that will keep the users of the rural roads safe.'

As well as considering the central city speed limit, Wellington City Council would continue its rollout of 30km/h speed limits in suburban shopping centres, a spokeswoman said.

'We currently have 16 in place with a further six to go to complete the programme approved by council in 2009.'

Meanwhile, the second round of consultation for Kāpiti roads will begin in February.

Paekākāriki town centre, Raumati Beach village area - currently 50kmh zones - are part of the review, as are Ōtaki Gorge and Forest Lakes Roads, currently 100kmh.

The speed reductions were welcomed by Cycle Aware Wellington spokesman Ron Beernik who said the group would love to see even lower limits, particularly on rural roads.

'The lower the speed, the lower the risk of more road deaths. Most drivers are really careful and considerate to cyclists, but we've seen too many fatalities due to a simple loss of concentration.'

The drop from 100kmh to 70kmh could literally mean the difference between life and death for a cyclist hit by a car, he said.

Automobile Association safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen said the reviews were no surprise given the Government's introduction of new speed limit guides last year.

The guide identified each council area's top 10 per cent of high risk roads or roads where the current limit was out of step with the environment, he said.

'We expect to see local authorities focusing on these higher-risk roads and looking at all the options, not just defaulting to lower limits as a solution to everything.'