Public to get say on proposed speed limits

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Community consultation seeking feedback on proposed speed limit changes starts on Friday of next week.

The Tairawhiti draft speed management plan was approved in March by Gisborne district councillors.

The plan proposes that the speed limit in the central business district be reduced from 50 to 30kmh, from 50 to 40 in most city streets and rural townships, and from 100 to 80 on rural roads.

It is proposed that arterial routes like Gladstone, Childers, Ormond, Lytton, Stanley and Rutene roads remain at 50kmh.

The plan is part of a nationwide initiative called Road to Zero that sets a target of a 40 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and a zero rate by 2050.

Gisborne District Council director of community lifelines David Wilson said Tairawhiti had 1.5 times the national average of deaths and serious injuries on its roads, with speed increasing the likelihood of crashes and their severity.

“Gisborne also ranks in the highest risk category for speed — driving too fast for the conditions — and for crashes with cyclists involved in the national Communities At Risk Register 2020, coming third for the country for both.”

The feedback received from next month's community consultation will be used to inform a final speed management plan.

In July, the public will have the opportunity to give feedback on the plan before it is presented to the council later in the year.

Any speed limit changes will take up to three years to be implemented.

The plan excludes speed limits on state highways 2 and 35 as this is a separate speed limit review process by Waka Kotahi (New Zealand Transport Agency).

Feedback on the proposed changes can be made between April 30 and May 31 on the council website, or at its customer services in Gisborne or Te Puia Springs.