Taupō District Council is proposing speed limit changes throughout the district to help keep all people safer on its roads and streets.

Public consultation opens today on council’s Speed Management Plan, which includes an overall strategy to setting speed limits over the next 10 years as well as outlining an initial set of speed limit changes over the next three years.

The proposed changes do not involve state highways. These are the responsibility of Waka Kotahi – the NZ Transport Agency.

Council senior transport engineer (strategy) Bryson Huxley says the overarching goal of the plan is to help create safe liveable urban streets, reduce serious accidents, and improve the safety experience for all local road users. Many residents have expressed a wish to make their streets, and those around schools, safer.

“We want to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads – we found speed was a direct factor in 25 percent of the 147 fatal/serious crashes over the past 10 years on Taupō district roads. People make mistakes, but crashing at a lower speed greatly reduces harm,” Mr Huxley said.

Community feedback is being sought on two topics.

“First; on the approach council is taking to set consistent speed limits across the district - with the aim of tailoring these to both rural roads and streets in town. Second, getting people’s thoughts on the first group of proposed speed limit changes we want to make,” Mr Huxley said.

The proposed speed limit changes are district wide and will focus on key roads where there are a lot of people and high numbers of vehicles. The council plans to implement these changes later this year once the Ministry of Transport’s Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2021 comes into effect. The changes support the national Road to Zero 2020-2030 vision of no deaths or serious injuries in road crashes.

The first set of speed limit changes has been grouped into the following areas:

• 30km/h speed limit outside schools

• Rural district roads

• Taupō town centre

• Taupō and its surrounds

• Kinloch

• Turangi

• Whareroa

• Eastern Bays

“Most of the speed management changes being considered are around schools and the Taupō central business district, but there are also some rural roads where we are looking at reducing speeds following requests from the local communities or because of ongoing safety concerns, Mr Huxley said.

“We would really like to hear community feedback on the changes we are proposing and gauge a better understanding of what our residents and ratepayers want.”

People can head to taupo.govt.nz/haveyoursay to read the Speed Management Plan. The proposed changes are grouped into different areas so people from different communities can learn more, and share their feedback via an online form, email, or request a feedback submission form sent to them. The full consultation document is also available at the site. Consultation on the speed management plan closes 4.30pm, Friday 13 May 2022.

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