Photo: Kate Judson
Waka Kotahi is putting the brakes on 16 sections of state highway that were to automatically revert to their previous higher speed limits.
The sections, classified as urban connectors, were on parts of state highways from Northland to Canterbury and involved speeds of between 50 and 100 kph.
Under new rules, sections of state highway that were classified as urban connectors where speed limits had been lowered since 1 January 2020 were required to automatically reverse back to their previous higher speed limit by 1 July 2025.
But public opinion has seen the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) slow the pace.
"NZTA has received feedback on a number of urban connectors where the community is strongly in support of keeping the current lower speed limits, instead of seeing them reverse," said NZTA group general manager of transport services Vanessa Browne.
Brown said formal speed reviews would go ahead as a result. These would include public consultation and an online survey.
Once the consultation is finished, Waka Kotahi would analyse the feedback alongside technical data and cost-benefit analyses before decisions were made on the final speed limits for these sections of road.
Public consultation would open for six weeks from early next month.
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