Auckland speed limit changes: Supporters say city will have 1600 safer roads but National argues Super City will slow

More than 1600 roads around Auckland will have speed limit changes after a vote of approval from Auckland Transport's (AT) board yesterday.

While supporters of the changes say Auckland's roads will become safer, the National Party argues "a one-size-fits-all approach" will slow the Super City and keep commuters and businesses in gridlock.

The roads make up 19 per cent of AT's road network and will be predominantly around schools and come into effect between December 2022 and March 2023.

There will be various speed changes on about 980 roads near more than 70 schools, according to AT's executive general manager of safety, Stacey van der Putten.

Speed limits will also change around rural marae, high-risk rural roads, town centres including Takapuna, Devonport and Glen Innes, further residential roads in Manurewa, and a whole island review for Waiheke.

Under the proposed changes, some streets would see their speed limits reduced by up to 60 km/h (from 100 km/h to 40km/h). These include Aio Wira Road in Waitākere, Aldred Road in Karioitahi, and Awhitu Gully Road in Manukau Heads.

Three separate sections of Cavendish Drive will be slowed down from 60 km/h to 50 km/h; while Te Irirangi Drive, one of the city's busiest roads, will see a reduction of 30km/h in parts.

Putten said evidence shows speed is a factor in more than 70 per cent of injury crashes in New Zealand.

The New Zealand road toll, which is at a higher rate than other comparable countries, was also something Minister of Transport Michael Wood said showed past approaches have failed.

"Each death is a person who leaves behind a family, a workplace, a community, they are not simply a toll that we pay when we decide to turn the key," Wood said.

Some 320 people died on our roads last year. The Ministry of Transport has reported there have already been 268 road deaths so far this year.

Transport Minister Michael Wood said the Government's 'Road to Zero' strategy is focused on meaningful actions aimed at preventing and minimising harm across the transport networks. Photo / File

But the changes, the opposition's transport spokesperson argued, would worsen the Super City's congestion and should be more targeted to known dangerous routes.

"Despite what AT claims, reducing speeds in this manner isn't going to improve safety to a significant degree," the National Party's Simeon Brown said.

"They are quick to boast that the number of accidents declined after their last round of speed limit changes in 2020, but conveniently fail to account for significantly lower overall traffic numbers as a result of Covid-19 restrictions that year."

He said congestion issues in Auckland have long hindered the ability of people to "get around and get things done", costing the city's economy around $1.3 billion annual and having a major impact on our productivity.

"There is little evidence to suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach like this will make any real difference."

Some 1600 Auckland roads will have the speed limit lowered. Photo / Jason Oxenham

AA's Auckland Transport spokesperson Martin Glynn was in favour of lower speeds on roads with high pedestrian and cyclist activity, such as around schools and town centres.

"The new speed limits they're proposing are at a level where accidents, particularly involving pedestrians and cyclists, are less likely to cause injuries or worse."

Glynn said the speed limit changes were "consistent with where Government policy is going".

He said while the changes were significant it follows road safety policies internationally.

Wood said the Government's 'Road to Zero' strategy is focused on meaningful actions aimed at preventing and minimising harm across the transport networks.

"Our Government's road safety vision is an Aotearoa where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads, and we've set an initial target of reducing the number of people dying or being seriously injured on our roads by 40 per cent by 2030."

Brown argued speed limit reductions should be focused on high-risk areas and roads.

"The reality is that speed is just one factor when it comes to traffic accidents, and things like driver inattention or inexperience and poor road maintenance are just as significant," he said.

"National supports temporary speed limit reductions around schools during pick up and drop off times, but blanket responses like this simply just slow people down."

Simeon Brown, National's transport spokesperson, said AT's decision to lower speed limits will "only make the city's traffic woes worse." Photo / Mark Mitchell

The AT board decision is phase three in its safe speeds programme.

Phase one began in June 2020, speed limits were changed within Auckland's city centre, residential areas in Te Atatū South and Rosehill in Papakura, plus many high-risk urban and rural roads.

Speed limits in several town centres and 26 roads in Auckland's west and north were also changed in stages from August 2020 to June 2021.

Putten highlighted that in areas where speed limits were changed in June 2020, fatalities have reduced by 30 per cent in the following 24-month period.

Phase two mostly consisted of speed limit changes for rural roads, roads near schools, and community-requested changes in Freemans Bay and Ponsonby.

The phase three consultation received 8000 public submissions, Putten said, and following consultation, changes were made to 36 roads or road sections in the original proposal.