12th to 18th May is Road Safety Week. It’s a time to encourage people to look out for each other on our roads, meanwhile the Government is raising speed limits. NZ School Speeds who campaign for consistent 30km/h speed limits outside schools is calling the Government out for this as politicians making these decisions don’t seem to be accountable for their actions, despite the likely increase of the road toll.

After speed limits had been lowered by the last government, the road toll reduced. The Labour Party followed best practice and set up ‘Road To Zero’ an evidence based project. Then in came the new Minister of Transport Simeon Brown, who had a clear vendetta against road safety and went about reversing many speed limits, returning them to what they had been when National were last in Government, despite complaints by road safety experts and roading engineers who are concerned that the road toll will rise. So will anyone take responsibility for these irresponsible decisions?

Lucinda Rees, spokes person for NZ School Speeds has been campaigning for safer speeds outside schools for almost 20 years and is incredibly disappointed at the irresponsible reversal of evidence based speed limits. 

“National’s argument was that its mainly those who drink and take drugs, who were causing accidents, yet they are giving these same people the right to travel even faster, apparently to get to their destination a few minutes earlier. The Government claim it will also fix our economy, despite evidence suggesting that instead it will cost lives and injuries, as well as preventing those who might have used alternative modes of transport. Meanwhile many will never get to their destination and no politician will be responsible.

“If you Google ‘Road Safety’, Wikipedia informs us that ‘Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured.’

“The current Government would be lying if they celebrate road safety this coming week,” but would benefit from reading Wikipedia who go on to say: ‘Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and passengers of on-road public transport, mainly buses and trams.’ Sadly Aotearoa’s most vulnerable road users who might cycle or walk remain vulnerable and no one Is responsible.”

“I have heard it asked, that if a rising road toll is acceptable then which family member or even child would you put forward to be killed? Politicians should have asked themselves that before they reversed evidence based speed limits that have been saving lives. If Government decisions are not factual or science based will anyone be responsible?

Road Safety experts should make road safety decisions, not politicians.

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