Waimakariri District Council’s plan, now out for public feedback, is in response to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero, the national road safety strategy aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries from crashes.

Mayor Dan Gordon says as a growth District it’s important that we improve safety for all roads users while ensuring people can still efficiently get around the District.

"Our aim with the Speed Management Plan is to ensure we are getting the balance right.

“We’ve listened to community feedback and have taken this into account while putting together this proposal that we think fits right for Waimakariri. It prioritises the safety of school children and make a few tweaks here and there to ensure intersections are safer and that there are more consistent speeds in some areas.

“This is a phased approach to Speed Management Planning which focuses on schools and a few other major roads/intersections in its first iteration.

“We want to wait for the new Government to be formed to see if promises to repeal speed limit rules are realised in its transport policies before deciding on a district-wide approach. However, we want to check-in with the community and ask whether we have this right for the major issues we know are prevalent now, and if we’re on the right track.”

Waimakariri’s Speed Management Plan has two major proposals:

1. A focus on safer speeds around schools. This includes a mix of permanent variable (active during drop-off and pick-up times) and permanent signs that show a 30km/h limit around all schools

2. Lower speed limits for key Intersections and a small number of roads. These include:

• Pegasus Boulevard, between State Highway One and Infinity Drive from 70 km/h to 60 km/h
• Beach Road, from 80 m east of Tuhoe Avenue to 690 m east of Tuhoe Avenue from 70 km/h to 50 km/h
• Beach Road, 690 m east of Tuhoe Avenue to 200 m west of Dunns Avenue to move from 100 km/h to 80 km/h
• Ferry Road (north), Beach Road to end of formed road from 100 km/h to 60 km/h
• Ferry Road (south), Beach Road to end of formed road from 100 km/h to 60 km/h
• Ashley Gorge Road (German Road intersection speed zone), from 150 m east of the German Road intersection to 150 m west of the German Road intersection from 100 km/h to 60 km/h
• Oxford Road (Tram Road intersection speed zone), from 150 m east of the Tram Road intersection to 150 m west of the Tram Road intersection from 100 km/h to 60 km/h as a variable speed limit
• Tram Road (Two Chain Road intersection speed zone) – 150 m east of the Two Chain Road intersection to 150 m west of the Two Chain Road intersection from 100 km/h to 60 km/h as a variable speed limit
• Tram Road (Earlys Road intersection) – 150 m east of the Earlys Road intersection to 150 m west of the Earlys Road intersection from 100 km/h to 60 km/h as a variable speed limit.

The Speed Management Plan only applies to our local road network. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has developed an interim Draft Speed Management Plan for the State Highway network.

Have Your say

The community will have  until Monday 27 November, to review and provide feedback.

You do can do this:

• Online. Visit letstalk.waimakariri.govt.nz/. You can provide feedback with our survey and check out the proposed changes on the online map.
• Hard copy. There are feedback forms in all Council service centres and libraries.
• Email. You can email your feedback directly to our Roading and Transport Manager joanne.mcbride@wmk.govt.nz