Speed limits on 11 highways in Auckand and Northland to be reviewed

Tuesday, 4 May 2021

Auckland Transport CEO Shane Ellison explains the speed limit reduction plan. (Video first published June 2020)

The speed limits on some state highways might be lowered in an effort to curb rising road fatalities.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is seeking feedback on the current speeds on eleven highways across Auckland and Northland.

Fourteen people have died on Northland roads so far this year, one more than at the same stage of 2020.

Waka Kotahi is seeking feedback on the current speeds on eleven state highways across Auckland and Northland.

Waka Kotahi spokesperson Steve Mutton said improving safety on New Zealand roads is a top priority for the agency.

The highways being reviewed have been identified as roads where lower speeds could help save lives.

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'We’re working to deliver a safe system which acknowledges that even responsible people can make mistakes on our roads, and that these mistakes should not cost us our lives,” he said.

Nine state highways in Northland and two state highways in Auckland are being reviewed after being identified as roads where safer speed limits could make a difference in preventing deaths and serious injuries.

“Even when speed isn’t the direct cause of a crash, it is the single biggest factor that determines whether a person is killed, seriously injured or walks away from a crash unharmed,” Mutton said.

'We’d like people to tell us about places that are hard to get to or from, how safe they feel crossing the highway or letting their children walk or cycle to school in certain areas, and if there are any other sites or information that we need to be especially aware of.'

The information will help Waka Kotahi determine where speed limit changes could improve safety, and help shape any new proposed speed limits, which will then be formally consulted on.

Formal consultation about any proposed speed limit changes will be the next part of the process, after engagement feedback is considered.

The public engagement period will run from May 3 to June 14.

The state highways being reviewed are SH1 Pukenui to Kaitaia, SH10 Pakaraka to Taipa, SH11 Kawakawa to Paihia, SH1 Kawakawa to Whangarei, SH15 between SH1 (north of Kaikohe) and Otaika, SH12 Omapere to Kaikohe, SH14 Dargaville to Whangarei, SH12 Brynderwyn to Omapere, SH1 Whangarei to Auckland boundary, SH1 Auckland boundary to Warkworth and SH16 Wellsford to Waimauku.

The speed limit on State Highway 1 between Kawakawa and Moerewa was reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh following an extensive consultation period in August last year.

Waka Kotahi’s current programme of works for Northland and into Auckland include a $792 million four-lane corridor planned between Whangārei and Port Marsden Highway.

High-risk intersections are being upgraded at Kawakawa, Puketona and Rawene. The Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway is also being built and will open in May 2022.

“We’re working toward a future where no-one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Mutton said.

“Lots of change is needed to get us there, but there is one thing we can do that will make a huge difference immediately – making speeds safer on our roads.”