Wellington proposes 30kmh speed limit for entire central city

Monday, 14 March 2016

Plans to make Wellington's entire CBD a 30kmh zone are back on the agenda.

Just when you thought it was safe to put your foot down, a 30kmh speed limit for Wellington's central city is back on the agenda.

Wellington city councillors will consider plans this week to introduce the limit across the entire central city, roughly 18 months after they tossed out a similar proposal by a single vote.

The failed Basin Reserve flyover project has pushed back planning for the city's new bus rapid transit network, meaning the city council has turned its immediate attention to other ideas like a 30kmh speed limit for the CBD.

The city's Golden Mile, which includes Lambton Quay, Willis St, Manners St and Courtenay Place, has had a 30kmh limit since 2010, but this proposal would spread the net wider.

Boundaries are yet to be drawn up, but last time it was up for discussion the plan was for a reduced limit as far north as Molesworth St, as far south as Vivian St, as far east as Cambridge Terrace and as far west as The Terrace.

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Councillor Andy Foster said the issue had reared its head again because of the demise of the Basin Reserve flyover in 2015, and the effect that had on the planning of several major transport projects.

One of the delayed projects was the city's proposed new bus rapid transit network. The city council set aside $375,000 this financial year to investigate options for placing dedicated bus lanes across the city.

But because one of the locations would probably have been the Basin, and there was no solution in sight to its congestion problems, council staff had suggested the money be spent on some 'quick wins' instead.

Those include safety gains from a lower speed limit, along with upgrading intersections across the CBD with pedestrian countdown timers and new sensor technology.

'We don't want to see nothing happening across the city,' Foster said. 'We want to show that we're keen to make progress on transport issues.'

The 30kmh limit was an idea whose time would come, he said. 'Will it be now? I don't know. But it's back on the table.'

Benefits would include greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians, especially as bigger buses were expected to be introduced.

Crash statistics suggested traffic needed to be slower across the entire CBD, he said.

A safety audit in January found 276 pedestrians were either killed or injured in the CBD between 2008 and 2014, and the majority of those were outside the boundaries of the Golden Mile.

Two of the four deaths were outside the Golden Mile, as were 39 of the 63 serious pedestrian injuries.

'It means there's certainly a safety issue elsewhere,' Foster said.

If the speed limit was lowered across the entire CBD, it is estimated it would cost $200,000 in additional signage.

Foster said he had assurances from Wellington police that they would increase their efforts to enforce the new limit if it was introduced.

Automobile Association Wellington district chairman Michael Gross said the organisation would remain opposed to a blanket 30kmh limit for the CBD until a more compelling case was presented.

The AA believed CBD traffic was not able to go much faster than 30kmh during business hours at present, and the slower speed was not necessary outside those hours.

'We're not surprised the issue has come back up. A number of councillors made it clear last time they would continue to bring it back until the opposition was worn out.'

Inner City Association president Geraldine Murphy said a small group of members would probably support a 30kmh limit, but there had been no wide-ranging calls for such a move.

SMARTENING UP THE CAPITAL'S CROSSINGS

The city council is also considering installing countdown timers at nine CBD pedestrian crossings, as well as sensor technology that tracks when pedestrians are crossing the road.

The countdown timers will show pedestrians how many seconds they have to cross, while the sensors will be able to cancel a request to cross if a pedestrian no longer needs it, alleviating any unnecessary waiting for motorists.

The total cost of these initiatives, plus the 30kmh speed limit, would be $721,000, comprising the $375,000 from the city council and $346,000 from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

HOW COUNCILLORS VOTED ON THE 30KMH LIMIT LAST TIME

For: Celia Wade-Brown, Andy Foster, Sarah Free, David Lee, Justin Lester, Iona Pannett, Mark Peck

Against: Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Jo Coughlan, Paul Eagle, Simon Marsh, Helene Ritchie, Malcolm Sparrow, Simon Woolf, Nicola Young