Right idea, wrong intersection: Speed limit changes won’t help Blue Spring safety issues

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Locals wanted speed limit changes and safety improvements closer to the Blue Spring and the Leslie Road turnoff, which is just around the corner to the right.

A speed change near the popular Blue Spring/Te Waihou Walkway is the right idea in the wrong spot, a local says.

A new digital speed sign has been announced for the intersection of SH5 and SH28, near the Leslie Road turnoff to the springs. It will temporarily drop the limit from 100kph to 60kph when approaching traffic is detected.

It’s one of four electronic Intersection Speed Zones (ISZs) just announced by the NZ Transport Agency following public consultation earlier this year (list below).

Putāruru local Natasha Tanner says the electronic Intersection Speed Zones are a good idea, but the one near the Blue Spring is in the wrong place.

The agency says the new zones will make turning onto and off busy state highways safer, but South Waikato Ratepayers and Residents Action Group committee member Natasha Tanner believes there’s a more pressing need closer to Blue Spring, a popular tourist destination.

Tanner has campaigned for years for lower speeds and safety improvements around the Blue Spring, where visitor numbers have steadily increased over the past few summers.

An example of an intersection speed zone sign which directs traffic to slow to the speed displayed.

She and other residents recently presented their concerns to the agency in Hamilton, but Tanner said it had failed to act on what locals had been telling it.

'As much as a speed reduction might improve driver reaction at the State Highway 5 and 28 intersection, it is needed more at the Leslie Road intersection with State Highway 28,' Tanner said.

'The intersection of Highway 28 and Leslie Road, and the Whites Road carpark, is in dire need of not only a speed reduction zone, but also decent pull-over bays and road shoulders.

'It's disappointing that NZTA has still ignored the seriousness of traffic danger and should be making this stretch of Highway 28 a priority.'

Tanner said the issue remained an everyday safety concern.

The intersection of state highways 5 and 28, near the entrance to the Blue Spring, where a new speed limit will be introduced.

'Just this morning we heard car wheels locking and skidding at the Leslie Road intersection, followed shortly by a truck on his horn.

'The car turned onto Leslie Road. We're assuming they were going to see the springs.'

She said it was now 'back to the drawing board' for locals campaigning for further safety improvements.

Between January 6 and February 17, NZTA received 432 submissions from individuals and organisations on its proposed changes.

Putāruru’s Blue Spring was crowded with visitors over the summer.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional relationships director Andrew Corkill acknowledged mixed views but said hearing from 'locals and road users is invaluable'.

'Although the consultation revealed that people had mixed feelings on some of the proposals, when taken into account alongside safety and technical assessments, cost, benefit and other data, the way forward in the interests of safety was clear.

'We've seen that when speed limits are reduced, average driving speeds do become lower,' Corkill said.

'We know from the research that ISZs give people more time to react to mistakes and avoid collisions, meaning crashes are less likely.'

The new Waikato speed limits (all 100kph down to 60kph):

– SH5/SH28 Whites Road, Intersection Speed Zone (Tīrau)

– SH27/Kereone Road/Diagonal Road, Intersection Speed Zone (Waharoa)

– SH29/Taotaoroa Road/Totman Road, Intersection Speed Zone (Piarere)

– SH39/Tuhikaramea Road/ Livingstone Road, Intersection Speed Zone (Whatawhata/Ngāhinapōuri)