Auckland Transport is spending $33 million on its latest rollout of lower speed limits. Photo / Dean Purcell
Auckland Transport is spending $33 million on its latest rollout of lower speed limits. Photo / Dean Purcell
Auckland Transport is spending $33 million on the latest round to lower speed limits on about 1600 roads across the city.
The cost of the rollout was provided under the Official Information Act to National transport spokesman Simeon Brown, who said Aucklanders will be shocked at the cost.
The roadshref="https://at.govt.nz/about-us/have-your-say/proposed-speed-limit-changes-phase-three/full-list-of-new-speed-limits-phase-three/"> make up 19 per cent of AT’s road network and will be predominantly around schools. There will be changes on about 980 roads near more than 70 schools, according to AT’s executive general manager of safety Stacey van der Putten.
It is the third round of lower speed limits introduced by AT and sees speed limits changing on high-risk rural roads, town centres including Takapuna, Devonport, and Glen Innes, and further residential roads in Manurewa and rural marae.
The speed limit changes will come into effect between December 2022 and March 2023.
National Party transport spokesman Simeon Brown. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Figures provided to Brown show a lot of the spending will go towards physical measures to slow traffic in the Devonport, Takapuna, Glen Innes and Manurewa town centres.
AT is also spending nearly $15m on reducing speed limits and installing traffic calming measures, such as raised tables, at 124 schools during the current financial year. About $3.3m will be spent on signs and road painting.
Lowering speed limits across the Super City is part of a Swedish road safety plan adopted by AT called Vision Zero where not one death is acceptable. The transport body has set a target for reducing deaths and serious injuries by 65 per cent on the city’s roads by 2030, and zero by 2050.
An AT spokeswoman said the $33m price tag for the works has a benefit-cost ratio calculated at $9.4 realised for every $1 spent in terms of social, health, and economic savings to Aucklanders.
The speed limits are focused on school safety. Photo / File
Brown questioned why AT had not taken into account the cost these changes will have on motorists who will be spending more time on the roads trying to travel around Auckland.
“AT does take into consideration all road users as part of this programme. Initial monitoring has shown limited impact on journey times, especially in the urban network as journey time is more impacted by intersections and other traffic on the road,” the spokeswoman said.
Brown said AT should also be reviewing phase three of their speed limit reductions in light of the recent council elections to ensure that they are reflecting the views of Aucklanders who have sent a very clear message that they are sick and tired of the war on cars being pushed by the Labour Government.
“At the very least, a lot of potholes could be repaired for the $30m it will cost to implement these speed limit reductions,” he said.
