Wellington City Council proposes dropping city’s speed limit to 30km/h

Wellington City Council is seeking public opinion on whether or not it should drop the the entire city’s speed limit to 30km/h in support of the Government’s Road to Zero strategy.

The proposal comes as the Council is required to introduce a limit of 30km/h near 40 per cent of its schools by June 2024. That’s just the tip of the iceberg too as it will have to do the same around all 81 schools by the end of 2027.

Due to the city’s high density of schools, the Council has suggested blanketing all roads throughout the capital with the lower limit.

At the moment, approximately 80 per cent of Wellington’s streets have speed limits that “do not align” with the safe and appropriate speed that has been calculated for the roads.

“We want to hear from a cross section of Wellingtonians – from business owners and retailers, to parents and others who regularly use our streets – to paint a good picture of the views out there,” says Tory Whanau, Mayor of Wellington.

“But we should always remember that the proposed speed limit may add a few minutes to your journey but it could save a child’s life. That is at the heart of the issue.”

Wellington City Council is asking the city’s residents on its thoughts with consultation expected to start next month.

It wants to hear feedback from people about a 30km/h speed limit for all non-arterial streets, the same on arterial streets in city and town centres, a 40km/h limit for all other arterial streets, and other lower speed limits around Wellington.