Speed limit changes in Auckland’s west and north Speed limit changes in Auckland’s west and north

Auckland Transport (AT) has set new safe and appropriate permanent speed limits for 26 roads in Auckland’s west and north. These changes were made as part of the Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2021 and came into force on 31 May 2021.


Project status: New speed limits on these roads came into force on 31 May 2021.
Project zone: North / West


Project overview

AT controls over 7,300km of road network and we are responsible for ensuring all roads under our control have speed limits that are safe and appropriate for their function, design, safety and use.

We identified 26 roads in the following areas that needed new safe and appropriate speed limits:

The AT Board decided to approve the Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2021 and as a result, speed limit changes on these 26 roads came into force on 31 May 2021.

Background

The speed limit changes on these 26 roads form part of our Safe Speeds Programme. We are currently working through a programme to review speed limits on all roads across our network to identify where changes are needed. These 26 roads were prioritised based on a number of criteria. Speed limit changes on other roads around Auckland will be considered in the future.

The Speed Limits Bylaw 2019 was made by Auckland Transport in 2019. New permanent speed limits came into force on a number of roads around Auckland on 30 June 2020. Find out more about the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019.

Timeline

  • 9 November 2020 until 17 January 2021 - Seek public feedback
  • 4 February 2021 - Hearings for those who requested to provide feedback in person or via an audio/visual link.
  • February/March 2021 - AT road safety team considers public feedback and submits final proposal to AT Board.
  • 29 April 2021 – The AT Board approved the Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2021
  • 31 May 2021 – New speed limits on these 26 roads came into force


Roads we proposed changing the speed limits for

We proposed to set new permanent speed limits for the following roads in Auckland’s west and north, as part of an amendment to the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019.

* An urban traffic area is a geographical area specified by Auckland Transport within which roads have the default urban speed limit of 50km/h and outside of which roads have the default rural speed limit of 100km/h unless otherwise specified or excluded. Maps of the urban traffic area boundaries can be downloaded from AT’s website. Go to AT.govt.nz/haveyoursay then click on ‘Speed limit changes in Auckland’s west and north’.

Download maps of the urban traffic area boundaries that are relevant to this proposal (874KB).

For further information on urban traffic areas, please refer to the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019 amendment (PDF 13.5MB, 168 pages).

The criteria for reviewing speed limits

When reviewing speed limits, there are a number of things we have to consider. The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017 requires AT to review speed limits to ensure they are safe and appropriate with regard to all of the following:

  • The characteristics of the road and roadsides – e.g. Are there sharp bends? Are there blind corners? Is there a central median strip to provide a buffer zone between oncoming traffic?
  • The crash risk for all road users
  • The number of deaths and serious injuries
  • The function and use of the road – this includes things like who uses the road and the speed vehicles travel at
  • Traffic volumes
  • Nearby land use
  • The number of intersections and property accessways
  • Planned modifications to the road – things like raised tables, median strips or barriers to separate oncoming vehicles
  • The views of interested people and groups
  • Information and guidance on speed management from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Why these roads were selected

The current speed limits on some of Auckland’s roads are not suitable for the existing conditions. Many of our rural roads are twisting, have sharp bends and are hilly with narrow unforgiving lanes that pose challenges to even the most experienced drivers. The consequences of small driver errors on such roads can be fatal.

These types of road conditions can result in drivers travelling slower than the speed limits.

All 26 of the roads we proposed speed limit changes on are ‘self-explaining roads’. This means drivers already travel at a lower speed due to the road conditions. In rural areas, this could be due to the road being narrow, windy or hilly. And in urban areas it could be due to the residential environment and things like speed bumps.

These 26 roads are classified as being at a high-risk of deaths or serious injuries occurring, or they are close to high-risk roads. We are introducing safe and appropriate speeds across areas rather than individual roads.

Some of the reasons we proposed new speed limits on these roads are provided below:

Previous engagement about these roads

We previously sought community feedback concerning the speed limits on these roads back in 2018 as part of our Safe Speeds Accelerate Programme. We were exploring speed limit changes at that time however they were not progressed. From 9 November 2020 – 17 January 2021, we consulted on a fresh proposal to change speed limits on these roads following review under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits.


Safe speeds save lives

Auckland Transport is taking a Vision Zero approach to road safety. That means we are striving to have zero deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050.

To achieve this, we are putting people first. Human life and safety come above all else. And, sometimes, that means our journeys might take a fraction longer. But, most of the time, the increase will only be a matter of seconds.

We understand that speed is also critical to the effectiveness and efficiency of our network. We are committed to ensuring the road network supports overall economic productivity. At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure people and goods can move around the region safely, as well as efficiently.

Setting safe and appropriate speed limits is important because speed affects both the likelihood of a crash occurring and how badly someone gets hurt.

Image of the relationship between impact speed and the risk of death.


Public consultation


From 9 November 2020 – 17 January 2021, we sought public feedback on the proposed speed limit changes to 26 roads in Auckland’s west and north. In total 337 submissions were received. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback. You played an important role in shaping the future of our region and we appreciate it.

The feedback provided has been summarised and responded to in the: 

Public feedback report (PDF)

View the other documents submitted to the AT Board for consideration as part of this process (AT Board reports for meeting of 29 April 2021 – Item 10) 

How we're moving forward

After taking all of the feedback into consideration, the AT Board decided to approve the Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2021. This means we implemented the proposed speed limit changes above with the exception of the following alterations:

Road

Original Proposal

Decision

Tram Valley Road

Between Christian Road and 430m southwest of Christian Road (UTA boundary*)

Increase speed limit from 50km/h to 60km/h

After considering new information related to subdivision activity happening on the land adjacent to the southern side of Tram Valley Road at its eastern end, we have changed our recommendation for this section to retaining the 50km/h speed limit rather than changing it to match the proposed rural 60km/h speed limit on the western part of Tram Valley Road.

Whitmore Road

Between 1,200m north of Bishop Lane and 1,200m north of Buckleton Road

Increase speed limit from 50km/h to 60km/h between 1,200m north of Bishop Lane and 1,040m north of Buckleton Road

After considering consultation feedback and meeting with the Buckleton Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association, to improve speed limit signage visibility we have changed our recommendation for the speed limit boundary on Whitmore Road to be 1,200m north of Buckleton Road instead of 1,040m north of Buckleton Road (i.e. a change of 160m).

Whitmore Road

Between 1,200m north of Buckleton Road and Buckleton Road

Reduce speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h between 1,040m north of BuckletonRoad and Buckleton Road 

After considering consultation feedback and meeting with the Buckleton Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association, to improve speed limit signage visibility we have changed our recommendation for the speed limit boundary on Whitmore Road to be 1,200m north of Buckleton Road instead of 1,040m north of Buckleton Road (i.e. a change of 160m).

Click here to download the Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2021.  

Once again, thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge.  

What happens next

The new safe and appropriate speed limits on these 26 roads in Auckland’s west and north came into force on 31 May 2021.


For more information on this project

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