Motorway Speed Limit Change This Week

Transit New Zealand advises all road users throughout the Auckland area, that from mid October there will be a new speed limit along part of the motorway in central Auckland.

From Thursday 17 October, the speed limit on the Southern Motorway from Victoria Park viaduct, south to Gillies Avenue, and on the Northwestern Motorway (SH16) from Grafton Gully west to the footbridge just before Bond Street, will be reduced from 100 kilometres per hour to 80km/hr.

The main reason for the reduction in the speed limit is that this section of motorway is currently the most congested in New Zealand, with traffic volumes averaging 200,000 vehicles each day.

In addition to the large traffic volumes, there are numerous on and off-ramps along this section of the motorway, and weaving and merging often occur as motorists prepare to exit the motorway.

“Reducing the speed limit will help to make traffic move more smoothly through the main junction area, and help reduce the number of incidents and accidents that occur”, says Transit regional manager Wayne McDonald. “By lowering the overall speed, incidents can be reduced, and the traffic will move at more consistent speeds.”

The reduced speed limit on parts of the motorway is not entirely new. At present the speed limit on the motorway from Victoria Park viaduct, north over the Harbour Bridge to the Onewa Road interchange is 80km/hr. With the change to the speed limit through the Central Motorway (spaghetti) Junction area, traffic through central Auckland should operate more safely, and more efficiently.

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