More than 1600 Auckland roads could have speed limit drops this year

Over 1600 Auckland roads could be set for speed limit changes – 19 per cent of the entire Auckland Transport (AT) network.

AT has issued their latest plans for the changes and are asking for public feedback on the proposal.

If successful, 1646 roads across Auckland will have speed limit reductions by November/December.

The majority of the roads are rural, or those around schools, town centres and marae.

Speed limits in central Devonport, Takapuna and Glen Innes drop from 50 km/hr to 30 km/hr under AT’s latest proposal.

Nearly 1000 roads around 82 Auckland schools are also mooted to have speed limit drops.

“Too many people are dying on our roads, and we simply must do everything we can to keep them safe,” AT’s Chief Executive Shane Ellison said.

“Our tamariki (children) are so vulnerable outside schools. So, it’s really important for us all that schools featured heavily in this proposal.”

It’s not the first time New Zealand’s most populated city has witnessed changes to the posted speed limits.

In 2020, speed limits on 600 Auckland roads were revised and changed accordingly.

And last year, the city proposed a second round of changes, this time to 800 roads.

In each case, AT says public feedback has largely been positive towards the changes.

Internal research done by AT says slower speeds is imperative to reducing the injuries and deaths on Auckland’s roads.

They say a pedestrian struck by a car travelling at 50 km/hr has “a 20 per cent chance they will survive.”

Whereas at 30 km/hr, “the survival rate increases significantly to 90 per cent.”

Last week, New Zealand motorsport figure Greg Murphy dismissed the speed theory. He argued slower speed limits will not drastically impact the number of road deaths and injuries.

“This is what NZTA (NZ Transport Agency) are selling: at a lower speed, when people make mistakes, there is a better chance of them surviving. You can’t cater for that in every conceivable situation,” he said.

“There is no guarantee on this stuff, and that’s why people need to do a better job driving a motor vehicle, understanding it, being more aware and taking fewer risks.”

AT hints most road users won’t notice the difference in several cases.

The majority of roads with planned changes are “self-explaining roads.” These are roads where motorists already travel slower than the posted speed limit due to road conditions.

Even so, the general public has until early April to submit their own feedback about the proposal.

A decision to either proceed with the changes, alter them or dismiss them entirely will be made in due course.