Speed limit cuts confirmed for hundreds of Auckland roads

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

100kmh speed limits will be cut on many rural roads following a decision by Auckland Transport.

Speed limits are to be lowered on nearly 700 Auckland roads after a decision which is hoped to avert 86 deaths or serious injuries over five years.

The directors of Auckland Transport (AT) unanimously voted on Tuesday to implement changes to all but 20 of the roads it had originally eyed up for cuts, leaving out some not considered high risk.

Much of the central city will have a 30kmh speed limit, as well as in some town centres, while the bulk of speed cuts are on rural roads in the northern ward of Rodney, and the southern ward of Franklin.

Many of the roads in rural communities will have open road limits lowered from 100kmh to 60kmh or 80kmh, while those changed in urban areas, fall in most cases to 30kmh.

A public opinion survey by AT found majority support for lowering speed on safety ground

* Auckland's most dangerous roads and how to fix them

* Auckland speed reductions: Decision looms on proposal to cut limits on 700 roads

* Speed limit changes: The slower Auckland Transport goes, the bigger the mess**

After the decision was made, AT released the findings of a public opinion survey which found a clear majority of support for lower speeds on safety grounds.

Of 1004 respondents, 49 per cent supported lower speeds in general, while 27 per cent opposed.

The information had not been given to the board, in a deliberate move to ensure the decision was made based on merit, rather than public feedback.

Most of the speed limit changes will come into force in June 2020, while the town centres will have a staged roll-out from November next year, depending on the readiness and public acceptance of the changes.

Among the early town centres are Mairangi Bay and Torbay, while others such as Mission Bay, St Heliers and West Lynn will happen later.

AT considered 11,722 submissions, with 2503 supporting reductions and 3317 opposing, with the balance making suggestions without taking a firm stand.

'This has been an intense process of due diligence, leaving no stone unturned,' said Lester Levy, ATs outgoing chair, ahead of the board discussion on Tuesday.

Chief executive Shane Ellison told the board meeting around 10,000 hours had been spent evaluating public submissions.

Ellison told the meeting that in many cases such as in the central city, traffic on the roads already travelled slower than the current limit.