Three Wellington roads have been earmarked to change back to 50kmh from 30kmh. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington city councillors will seek an exemption from the government's speed limit reversal rules.
A fight between the council and the government over speed limit reversals had been brewing for the past week, when agenda papers showed recommendations that speed limits on three streets be changed from 30kmh to 50kmh.
Those streets were Adelaide Road and Rintoul Street in Newtown, and The Parade in Island Bay.
The proposed reversals are due to rules put in place under former Transport Minister Simeon Brown, which said councils had to consider reversing any speed limit reductions put in place after 1 January 2020.
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau and councillor Geordie Rogers told RNZ an amendment would be put in place to reject the decision and instead seek approval of councillors to write a letter to Transport Minister Chris Bishop to stop the changes.
Reversing the speed limits was expected to cost $150,000.
After a marathon Regulatory Processes Committee today, councillors decided that they would seek an exemption from the transport minister for the speed changes.
They agreed that if an exemption was not granted by 30 April, the council would make the changes in alignment with the law.
Committee chair Sarah Free said at today's meeting that she grew up on these streets and that she could not believe that the changes were being required.
"I cannot believe that people are going to want to drive 50 kilometres up there to be honest."
Free said the roads were near schools, rest homes, hospitals and a densely populated area.
"If we put it back to 50, we will be dealing with people coming to us asking us to revisit it and put it back to 30 again."
Councillor Tony Randle said that he would have liked a proper risk analysis process to be done of the three roads, given the rules were known about six months ago.
"We've now run out of time to do the proper process, gather the evidence, put it through our own standards and consult with the community."
He believed if that process was followed, Rintoul Street would have been clearly defined as a risky road.
Ben McNulty said that the new speed rules were a bitter pill to swallow.
"This is stupid policy that we are having to entertain today."
Prior to today's meeting, Bishop told RNZ that National campaigned on reversing blanket speed limit reductions and that the government was delivering that promise.
"Safety is important on roads. We are focused on drugs and alcohol, the leading factors in road deaths. We are also encouraging safer driver behaviour, promoting safer vehicles, and improved road infrastructure."
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