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Community speed awareness Community speed awareness

Speed is a significant road safety issue in New Zealand. Auckland is now a Vision Zero region, which means Auckland Transport is committed to a goal of no deaths or serious injuries on Tamaki Makaurau roads by 2050.

We want to empower local communities to have a voice when it comes to road safety. The Community Speed awareness programmes help to raise public awareness to slow down, support enforcement from NZ Police, identify high risk areas to enable road safety improvements and encourages locals to promote safe roads within their community.

The reasons for high crash rates are many and varied. They include driving behaviour and how the road is engineered but driving speed affects the outcome of every crash.

Each community throughout Auckland has its own road safety challenges, whether it’s the location of schools and community facilities, if it’s near a Marae or in rural areas. Higher speeds increase the likelihood of crashes occurring and are a determining factor in the consequences of all crashes.

Crash statistics show 80% of all deaths and serious injuries occur on 50km/h local suburban roads and nearly half involve people walking or people on bikes or motorcycles. The faster a car is going when a pedestrian is hit, the more serious their injuries which has a huge impact on their family and friends.

Orewa community safety postcard.
Orewa community safety postcard.

Kaukapakapa Billboard December 2020 installation.
Kaukapakapa Billboard installation

Otahuhu speed awareness sign.
Otahuhu speed awareness sign.

Rural communities

Rural roads often have higher speeds than urban areas and present their own challenges. Navigating around livestock, horses or winding roads means vehicles need to be travelling at safe speeds and to the condition of the roads.

Familiarity of open-roads mean we often do not consider what happens if something goes wrong. Many crashes occur when people are pulling out of driveways, side roads or at stop/give-way intersections. There is a massive impact on family and friends when loved ones are killed or seriously injured in any community.

Auckland’s streets need to be safe for everyone who use them.

AT engages with at-risk communities, to promote safe driving within areas where crash data indicates speed as the contributing factor for crashes.

Partnering with residents and working collaboratively with representatives from local schools, community groups, volunteer Fire and St John Ambulance. Advertising and education material is created to influence driver behaviour to slow down and remind motorists that it’s not just about getting to their destination. People live and work in those communities too. Death or serious injuries affect not just the victim’s whanau but the local community as a whole. They are neighbours, teachers, friends, even the local volunteer fireperson.

Being part of the community means looking out for each other and sharing the roads. Together, everyone can make choices that make the roads safe for everyone.

View some of our previous community speed awareness campaigns.

Take care when driving around Tamaki Makaurau. Ata Haere. Please Slow Down.

Communities we are working with currently:

  • Kaukapakapa/Wainui/Waitoki
  • Ōtāhuhu Town centre
  • Orewa Town Centre
  • Matakana (coming soon).

Community engagement activities include:

  • identifying and liaising with community groups and local schools about speed awareness
  • community discussion on issues and solutions
  • photo shoot of volunteers
  • installation, dispatch or printing of advertising material
  • temporary billboards in high traffic areas, for passing drivers
  • bus backs on key arterial routes in and around the suburb
  • ads in community suburban newspapers for more information
  • web tiles for School e-newsletters and emails and Community Facebook groups
  • printable material such as School Banners, A4 Posters, School labels, Christmas cards.

Here are the Communities we have worked with in the past:

  • Pukekohe 2020.
  • Umupuia Marae, Maraetai​ 2020.
  • Coatesville 2019.
  • Whitford/Maraetai 2019.
  • Te Atatu South 2019.
  • Rosehill, Papakura 2019.
  • Manurewa 2018.
  • Manukau 2018.
  • Otara 2018.
  • Waiheke 2018.
  • Helensville 2017/2018.
  • Mangere 2017/2018.
  • Waimauku 2017.
  • Mangere Bridge 2016.
  • Puhoi 2015/2016.
  • Ararimu 2016.
  • Orakei 2016.

Auckland Transport will also be implementing speed calming initiatives and road safety improvements on high risk residential streets in Auckland, to provide a safer environment for all road users.