Wellington City councillors unanimously agree to 30kmh speed limits on central city streets

Thursday, 11 June 2020

A 30kmh speed limit will come into effect on most central Wellington streets from July. (File photo)

After six years, a proposal to reduce Wellington's central city speed limits to 30kmh has finally passed.

City councillors voted unanimously on Thursday to lower the speed limit on all central city streets except main arterial routes from 50kmh to 30kmh from July.

Almost 100 streets are part of the plans, with only main arterial routes excluded. (File photo)

The idea was first raised in 2011, and put back on the agenda again in 2014 when it was voted down by Wellington City councillors after gaining approval from two transport committees.

Councillors and others who opposed the idea said the lower speed limit was not necessary outside business hours.

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City councillor Sean Rush said the change represented the council imposing its own world view on people. (File photo)

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The proposal was put back on the table again in 2016 but failed to get approval.

Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons said before voting on the proposal she was 'really sad' it had taken six years for the change to happen, and Thursday's decision was an historic day for the city.

The change was sparked partly by the death of a pedestrian on a central city street several years ago. (File photo)

'Today I think I'll be able to go away and say we made Wellington a better city, because that's what we're doing my making this decision today.'

Earlier, councillor Sean Rush said he was unsure about the proposal, saying there was no evidence 30kmh was safer and accusing the council of 'imposing' its world view on people.

City councillor Nicola Young voted against the proposal four years ago. (File photo)

'I have grave concerns about how, in the name of moral leadership, there seems to be a movement to impose our world view on our residents,' he said.

He said he had seen no evidence that 50kmh was an unsafe speed, and that there was a 'massive disconnect' between the council's data and the mood of the public.

'I am struggling with the evidence and also very conscious that there is indeed a silent majority out there that doesn't seem to be getting a voice.'

Rush ended up voting for the proposal.

Councillor Jenny Condie said there was overwhelming evidence that 30kmh was a safer speed than 50kmh.

'Council officers provided us 24 pages of evidence, that included 15 references to other documents, that set out all the effects lowering speed limits would have on the city.'

Research showed one-in-two people were killed or seriously injured when hit by a car travelling at 50kmh, compared with just one-in-10 people hit by a vehicle travelling at 30kmh, Condie said.

'People are human and we make mistakes. If we have these 30kmh speed limits, then when people make mistakes it won't cost them their lives.'

Councillor Nicola Young, who voted against the proposal in 2016, said she would support the move this time because it was a better option than installing central city cycleways.

'I voted against lower speed limits last time because I couldn't see the point in spending half-a-million dollars on streets where you can hardly get to 5kmh.

'But I will not fight for any more cycleways in the central city because businesses can’t afford to have any more car parks taken out.'

Councillor Malcolm Sparrow said the change would probably not have much of an effect because it was difficult to reach 50kmh in most of the streets anyway.

Mayor Andy Foster said the decision was partly historic because it was 'the second time round'.

'This actually has been quite hard to get to this point.'

He told Rush the council was a road controlling authority guided by the New Zealand Transport Agency, and was not imposing its views on people.

He also disagreed there was no evidence to support the change.

'This is about physics, it doesn't mater what your world view is.

'If you hit someone, the chances of someone dying at 30kmh are a fraction of what they are at 50kmh.

'That’s human anatomy - you cannot argue against that.'

The change does not include Waterloo Quay, Customhouse Quay (north of Panama Street), Jervois Quay, Cable St, Wakefield St (east of Taranaki St), Kent/Cambridge Terrace, Taranaki Street, Vivian St and Karo Drive.