Road safety: Average-speed cameras coming for BoP

The average-speed cameras will be set up on two highway in Bay of Plenty.

Two sets of average-speed safety cameras will be installed on Bay of Plenty highways with the aim of improving safety.

Average-speed safety cameras are being used by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to reduce serious crashes along high-risk corridors and roads.

The technology has been internationally proven to be highly effective at reducing deaths and serious injuries on longer sections of road, the roading agency said in a statement.

The cameras work by calculating a vehicle’s average speed over a length of road between two cameras.

One pair will be installed on SH2/Pacific Coast Highway between Ōtamarākau and Matatā and the other on SH5/Explorer Highway, Tumunui, south of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty.

Work will begin at both sites on July 14 and take three to four weeks to complete.

NZTA regulatory strategic programmes head Tara Macmillan said speeding has a very real and devastating impact on communities.

“The types of crashes that happen, and are likely to happen, the volume of traffic and driver behaviour all tell us that there is a serious risk of people being killed or seriously injured in crashes on these roads.

“We also know that risk can be significantly reduced if more people drive to the speed limit. By installing safety cameras, we can reduce the chance of people being killed or seriously injured in crashes on these roads.”

SH2 Matatā

In June 2024, NZTA undertook a speed survey on this stretch of road that showed around 45% of drivers were speeding.

A new camera will be installed on SH2 near Herepuru Rd (by Murphy’s Holiday Camp).

The existing safety camera near Ōtamarākau on SH2 will be converted to an average speed camera.

SH5 Tumunui

In June 2024, NZTA undertook a speed survey on this stretch of road which showed around 47% of drivers were speeding.

One camera will be installed at approximately 126 Thermal Explorer Highway (SH5 – Rotorua end) and the other near 2028 Thermal Explorer Highway near Waimangu.

When installed, each pair of cameras will work together, measuring the average speed drivers travel between them.

Drivers will only be ticketed if their average travel speed over the entire distance between a pair of cameras is over the limit – they aren’t “pinged” by a single camera or at a single point where they are over the speed limit.

Initial construction works include installing underground power supplies, completing foundation works and installing metal barriers that will protect maintenance workers and any vehicle that leaves the road in a crash.

The poles and cameras will not be installed until later this year. Before the cameras begin operating, “Average speed camera area” signs will be installed, giving drivers a reminder to check their speed and slow down if needed.

NZTA is expecting to begin operating its first average-speed safety cameras on SH1 at Matakana Rd, Warkworth later this year and will progressively bring other average-speed safety cameras online, including in Bay of Plenty, in the following months.

Details on the current safety camera network, including the locations of fixed cameras, can be found on the NZTA website.