City centre to slow down as council accepts speed limit changes

Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Data suggests most people already drive at speeds close to 30kmh in the city centre, the reduction enables enforcement of that speed as the limit.

Slow and steady wins the race in Nelson after a reduction in CBD speed limits was approved by a council committee.

The amendment to the speed limit bylaw was approved with little fuss at deliberations of the Nelson City Council infrastructure committee on Wednesday, after public feedback on the proposed speed reductions came back resoundingly in favour.

Mayor Rachel Reese said she was “really pleased” to support the change, but highlighted the fact that the reductions were the herald of wider speed limit changes on the horizon.

“The important thing to communicate today is this is part of a process … there is an opportunity next year with less complicated legislation to make more changes,” she said.

* A month after Auckland speed limits dropped, actual speeds haven't changed

The risk of death or serious injury to pedestrians hit by cars more than doubles between 30kmh driving speeds and 50kmh driving speeds.

* Reduced speed limits proposed for central Nelson**

“We need to communicate well. If I was to look at where I live … we go in a very short space, a mater of probably 100 metres or 200 metres, from 50km to 30km to 40km and then back to 50km … there will be a bit of messaging that we need to do about why we haven't done the pieces in between, that they will be addressed.

“What we're doing is the first round now, and the community can expect those oddities to be addressed later next year.”

The proposal put out for consultation included reducing central city speed limits to 30kmh, and reducing speed limits on 36 residential streets which had no footpaths.

The feedback came in with 75 for the proposal and 26 opposed. Many of those opposed in general were in favour of some speed reductions, but not all, or required specific additions.

The new speed limits will be introduced in stages, with the centre-city streets excluding Selwyn Pl going to 30kmh on December 1, and the reduction on “home zone” streets and Selwyn Pl coming into effect in March next year.

The delay to Selwyn St is due to further traffic-calming measures such as speed-bumps being recommended by the Waka Kotahi Transport Agency for that street, as it is a ring-road.

Council transport manager Marg Parfitt said the calls for other streets to be added were beyond the scope of the bylaw review, but would be taken into account in the wider regional speed management plan which was due to start next year.

Councillor Rachel Sanson said the speed reduction was “absolutely a step in the right direction towards making our roads safer and more equitable for all users”.

“The thing that’s really stuck with me through this is the overwhelming support from the community … and actually the requests from members in the community, people in neighbourhoods, for us to go further and consider more streets.”

The amendment needs to go to the full council for official sign-off, but is not expected to face any hurdles as all but three councillors attended the committee meeting, where it passed with unanimous support.