Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says a review of recently-imposed speed cuts across the district may result in changes for the roads targeted for lower limits.
Hastings District Council is seeking public comment on the effects of the lower speed limits on its rural roads.
The Safe Speed Area mostly reduces the limit from 100km/h to 80km/h.
It was put in place in March following a public consultation process late last year.
But the council admitted this year that the initial round of consultation, before introducing the Safe Speed Area across about 78km of roads in the district, could have been more inclusive.
"I think we probably did all we were required to do but actually whether enough people knew about it is another point, and I don't necessarily think they did," Mr Yule said yesterday.
"This [current review] is saying well, actually, the public had a significant amount of unease about this.
"There were other people who want to be included, so what are we going to do about it?"
Mr Yule said in hindsight, he wasn't sure the council "got the zones right" when it introduced the changes.
"When you come from Waimarama, right through the Te Mata Mangateretere Rd you face a myriad of speeds. There's no control on the hill section, which probably should be 80km/h yet the section by Craggy Range is 80km/h."
Since the changes, residents in parts of the district had asked for speed limits on their roads to also be reduced, others living where reductions now applied had asked to keep them, and drivers who used certain roads had expressed anger at having to slow down.
"While we've got some people who are angry about it, we've got others who say we want our roads included.
"We've got to independently look at it, which is what we're doing now," Mr Yule said.
"We've got an open mind as to what the public say. We chose those roads because they were deemed to give the most benefit in terms of traffic safety and accident history from reducing the speed but the public didn't like some of that so we're looking at it again.
"This isn't a rubber-stamping exercise. We are being very open in terms of our view as to what we might end up with on this."
Mr Yule said he had received more feedback opposing the speed drops than supporting them.
"The majority probably would prefer it goes back from 80km/h to 100km/h, but there are certainly a significant number of people who are quite liking it. The people who live on the roads where the speed was reduced are liking it but the people who have to drive through those roads don't like it."
Public consultation on the speed limits continues until September 22.
Council officers will then compile a report for council this year.
Information on the speed limit changes and submission forms can be found at www.myvoicemychoice.co.nz.
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