10 December 2018

Speed limits will be lowered to 60km/h on some Porirua rural roads, to make them safer for motorists and residents and tie in with the reduced speed limit on State Highway 58.

Porirua City Council’s City Delivery Committee agreed, at its meeting last week, with the recommendation to reduce speed limits on Bradey Road, Belmont Road, Flightys Road, Murphys Road, Mulhern Road, Moonshine Road, Harris Road and Coroglen Rise.

Earlier this year NZTA proposed lowering the speed on SH 58 to 80km/h. This prompted the need to also change the speed limits of rural roads running off SH 58.

Coroglen Rise was included as it in a similar situation with a current limit of 100km/h but running off Airlie Road which had its speed lowered to 60km/h in 2005.

Because of the close links between SH 58 and the connecting roads, joint consultation was carried out with NZTA in March and April on the proposed speed reductions.

Committee Chairperson, Councillor Anita Baker, said that in retrospect Porirua City should have alerted the public to the need to change the limits on our local roads separately.

“At the time we thought that we had discretion over what that lowered speed limit could be. However, we’ve since learned from NZTA that its Speed Management Guide sets restrictions as to what those speeds can be. Using that guide 60km/h is the only practical option for these winding, rural roads and is the recommended safe speed.

“This was made clear to us by NZTA at our meeting and we agreed to recommend the 60km/h speed limit to the full Council this week.”

Councillor Baker said reducing speed limits is consistent with the nationwide effort by NZTA to make New Zealand roads safer.

“A recent crash reduction study of Paekakariki Hill Road shows that the number of crashes has halved in the past five years, since speed limits were reduced, and the injuries from the crashes that did happen were less severe – so that shows us that this is a sound approach,” she said.

The changes are expected to be in place early next year.

ends

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