Waka Kotahi to review calculations that said new speed limit would add only one minute to drive from Taupō to Napier
Friday, 7 May 2021
Waka Kotahi is going back to the calculators and reviewing its estimation of how much longer it would take to travel SH5 between Napier and Taupō if a lower speed limit was imposed.
The Agency has previously said its proposed reduction in speed limit will only result in an increase in travel time of less than a minute.
Last Month, Waka Kotahi NZTA announced it would be consulting and seeking feedback from members of the public on a proposal to reduce the speed limit from 100kmh to 80 kmh for the stretch of highway between Rangitaiki and Esk Valley.
The road is notoriously treacherous. Between 2010 and 2019, 16 people were killed in crashes on SH5 and another 75 people were seriously injured.
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The proposal to reduce speed limits did not go down well with locals, including race driver Greg Murphy, who said the proposed new speed limits for the notorious highway are about as useful as an “ambulance at the bottom of a cliff.”
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and chair of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee Martin Williams said the proposal was a 'cheap trick', “cynical” and was not the answer to improving safety.
They said the real issue was years of under-investment and the “irresponsible behaviour by a small minority of the driving public”.
Waka Kotahi director of regional relationships Emma Speight said a technical assessment had found that although the posted speed limit between Rangitaiki and Esk Valley was 100km/h, the mean speed that people traveled was 81km/h, meaning that lowering the limit would increase the average travel time by less than a minute.
On Friday Speight apologised for the confusion its calculations had caused and said it would be reviewing them.
“We have heard that many people who travel SH5 regularly have concerns about how we calculated and presented the likely travel time increases as part of the speed review consultation, and we apologise for the uncertainty this has created,” she said.
“We are reviewing the travel time calculations to ensure that the information we provide reflects the average experience of people who travel on SH5 regularly. We will provide an update with further information next week, once we have completed this work,” Speight said.
As a result, the Agency was extending the speed review consultation period by four weeks. People now have until June 6 to provide feedback and make a submission.