13 July 2011

Facts must support 40km/h speed limit

Evidence rather than ideology must be the basis for deciding whether to reduce Wellington’s residential speed limit from 50km/h, says the AA.

Wellington City Council will next month consider a proposal to lower the speed limit to 40km/h in all residential streets except arterial routes.

Several residential streets in the city already have speed limits of 40km/h and some areas 30km/h but this proposal would be an extreme change that would have a massive effect on motorists and public transport users.

It is essential that before making any such decision a careful analysis is undertaken to understand what its positives and negatives would be, says AA Wellington District Council chairman Michael Gross.

“If the intention is to improve safety on the roads, then it must be supported by thorough evidence about where crashes are occurring and understanding if travelling at the current speed limit was a causative factor,” says Mr Gross.

“We need to know the answers to questions like: how many fatal and serious crashes are happening on 50km/h residential and arterial and commercial streets in Wellington and what impact a reduced speed limit would have had on these crashes?

“The issues of what the impacts would be on commuting travel times and the city’s economy will be hard to estimate and quantify but must also be taken into account.

“Not to mention the vitally important question of what the public wants.

“This is not a decision to be taken lightly or rushed into in any way.”

Alongside analysing information on crashes in Wellington, the AA will be surveying a substantial number of its more than 105,000 members in the capital to canvas their opinion on the proposal.

“We look forward to engaging with Wellington City Council and sharing the views of our members on this important issue,” says Mr Gross.

“Road safety is a complex issue that often gets oversimplified. Many people mistakenly believe that speeding and drink driving are the only causes of crashes but police data actually shows poor observation by drivers is the most common factor.”

ENDS

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