Going to town, speed limits on Willowbank Ave leaving Meeanee drop to 80km/h on April 1. Photo / Doug Laing
Going to town, speed limits on Willowbank Ave leaving Meeanee drop to 80km/h on April 1. Photo / Doug Laing
The speed limit on a dragstrip stretch of road fast transforming from rural to urban use on the outskirts of Napier will be cut from 100km/h to 80km/h on April 1.
The new limit on Willowbank Ave, from Meeanee to the urban boundary near Geddis Ave, was approved ata meeting of the Napier City Council on Thursday along with reduced speeds in three school zones.
There will be a cut from 80km/h to 40km/h outside Eskdale School in rural Hill Rd, and 50km/h to 30km/h outside Port Ahuriri School and Reignier School in Guppy Rd, Taradale.
The changes had been inadvertent omissions in the council's 2021 Speed Limit Bylaw Review, with the Willowbank Ave situation being subject of a comprehensive submission by resident John Jhiang, despite Willowbank Ave not being on the list under consideration in the review.
The council decided immediately to open a new review on the sites that had been omitted. Willowbank Ave has seen increased traffic from rapid residential development in Te Awa, set to expand even further towards Willowbank Ave, while there was also a noticeable increase in traffic from the Brookfields and Sandy roads Pakowhai link after the opening of the Whakatu Arterial at the end of 2018.
Of particular issue is the approach of traffic from Willowbank Ave to the 50km/h and 40km/h Chambers St, through a channel of parked vehicles at the sides of Chambers St, passing Napier Boys High School.
Speed monitoring on Chambers St in 2019 highlighted alarming levels of excessive speed and Nelson Park Ward member Maxine Boag said lowering the speed limit on Willowbank Ave was "effectively" an extension of speed-calming steps undertaken in the aftermath, including an extended raised cushion at the intersection with Geddis Ave.
Residential expansion from Eriksen Rd to Willowbank Ave is already planned, with more than a 180 homes proposed for a lifestyle village without access on to or off Willowbank Ave.
