Consultation is underway on the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency draft Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan.

The Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency road safety vision is for a road network where no-one dies or is seriously injured - Road to Zero strategy.

Underpinning this strategy is the safe system approach which acknowledges that people make mistakes on the road, but these mistakes should not cost people’s lives.

A safe system means taking a holistic view of the land transport system and designing and managing that system so it protects everyone using it from road trauma.

A new framework for managing speeds on our roads is a key part of our road safety strategy. Earlier this year a new rule for setting speed limits took effect (the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022) replacing the previous 2017 rule.

Under the new rule, road controlling authorities, like Waka Kotahi which is the authority responsible for state highways and Wairoa District Council, the roading authority for Wairoa district roads, will use speed management plans to set out why and how they propose to better manage speed to make it safer for people to move around.

Developed every three years to align with the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) cycle, speed management plans provide the full picture of how road controlling authorities will integrate safety-related infrastructure improvements, speed limit changes and safety camera placement to manage speed.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is proposing to reduce speed limits around most schools on state highways. This will affect three local schools; Wairoa College from 50km to 30km, Kotemaori School from 100km to 60km and Tutira School from 100km to 60km.

Submissions can be made online or via email, by using the online form at nzta.govt.nz/ISMP or scanning a hard copy form and emailing to speedmanagement@nzta.govt.nz

Hard copy submission forms are also available from the Wairoa District Council front office.

The consultation period runs from 14 November to 12 December 2022.

23 November 2022

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