New speed limit plan for schools and rural roads

Speed limits around all local schools and colleges will be reduced to 30kph – at least at drop-off and pick-up times – if a new draft speed management plan for Auckland gets the go-ahead after public consultation next month.

Katoa, Ka Ora, which means ‘all will survive’, focuses on implementing safe speed limits around more than 350 Auckland schools, but it will also mean speed reductions on many more rural roads in the Rodney area if approved.

Rodney Local Board has long advocated for speed limit parity between urban and rural schools, so welcomed the proposal to implement variable limits that would bring all roads outside schools down to 30kph at key times.

Deputy chair Louise Johnston, whose ward includes Dairy Flat Primary School on Dairy Flat Highway, has spearheaded calls to quash higher speed limits outside some rural schools and bring them into line with the rest of Auckland.

“We urgently need to roll out safe speeds outside of our rural schools,” she said. “We can’t have different standards between urban and rural schools. These are our most vulnerable road users and it is our job to protect children.

“Regardless of the reason for a vehicle crash, the speed limit will determine the outcome. This is just physics and you can’t argue with science.”

The Katoa, Ka Ora three-year speed management plan aims to meet Waka Kotahi’s requirement for safe and appropriate speeds outside all schools by December 2027, though the draft proposals are still subject to public consultation in July and confirmed funding.

If adopted, the plan will also see speeds on many rural Rodney roads that are currently 100kph reduced to 80, 60, 40 or even 30kph. These proposals are in response to local board or community requests, or are designed to “even out” areas where there are currently frequent changes in the speed limit. They will also be applied to roads that “already look and feel like a slower speed”, that have lots of walkers and cyclists, and on roads used as ratruns, Auckland Transport (AT) said.

AT road safety engineering manager Michael Brown said Katora, Ka Ora was the latest in a series of speed plans and changes and it would complement speed limit changes that have already been made elsewhere in the district. Although costs will not be finalised until after public consultation and will depend on the number of electronic signs, raised speed tables, other signage, and so on required, he said implementation of the plan could cost between $40 million and $70 million over three years.

“The previous speed management plan had a benefit-cost ratio of 9.4 – for every $1 invested, there was $9.40 given back to Aucklanders in terms of socio-economic savings,” Brown said.

AT will apply for co-funding of 51 percent from Waka Kotahi and 49 percent will be funded by Auckland Council.

AT has already set safe speed limits for more than 3000 roads, or almost 40 percent of Auckland’s road network.

“The evidence is clear that safe speeds save lives. Data from the first phase of speed limit changes in Auckland showed a 30 percent reduction in deaths and a 20 percent reduction in serious injuries in the 24 months after safer speeds were introduced in June, 2020. In comparison, across Auckland roads where speed limits were unchanged, road deaths increased by 9 percent in the same period.”

Katoa, Ka Ora – Auckland’s draft speed management plan for 2024-27 will go out for public consultation in late July. Info: 63-draft-auckland-speed-managementplan-2024-2027.pdf (at.govt.nz)

Suggested changes

The draft speed limits implementation plan includes the following roads, in part or in full, for proposed speed cuts:

• Millwater Parkway between The Settlement and 75m south of Stella Maris Lane. From 50kph to 30/50kph variable at school start and finish times. Implementation Year 3. • Longmore Lane, Millwater, full length. From 50 kph to30/50kph variable at school start and finish times. Implementation Year 3. • Whangaparāoa Road, between 80m northeast of Gulf Harbour Drive and Mariner Drive – currently 60kph. Proposed – 50kph permanent. Implementation Year 1. The majority of Whangaparāoa Road is 50kph, and the proposed change will make the speed limit on this section consistent with the rest. • Nukumea Primary School safe school zone, east of Auckland Northern Motorway, Ōrewa. Currently 50kph. Proposed 30kph permanent. Implementation Year 3 (or when required to align with development and school opening). • Stella Maris Catholic Primary safe school zone, Silverdale, south of Millwater Parkway. Currently 50kph. Proposed 30kph permanent. Implementation Year 2 (or when required to align with engineering works in town centre). Bounded by Millwater Parkway to the north, Hibiscus Coast Highway to the southeast, and edge of the town centre area to the west. Some minor lanes assessed as 10kph but would likely need additional engineering treatments to be credible as shared zones.