Waka Kotahi reviewing state highway speed plan after PM’s handbrake

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is reviewing its state highway speed management plan after the Prime Minister today pulled the handbrake on its scheme and says it will now focus on only the most dangerous 1 per cent of state highways.

However, Chris Hipkins was unable to provide details on which roads would be targeted, when asked by reporters in Wellington.

When the Herald asked Waka Kotahi for further information, a spokesperson said: “In response to today’s announcement Waka Kotahi will review our state highway speed management plan to ensure that the highest-risk state highways are prioritised, alongside targeted changes to speeds around schools, marae and in townships which state highways transit.”

Waka Kotahi said it and local authorities are still developing speed management plans as part of the Road to Zero strategy.

“The speed management plan for state highways which Waka Kotahi is developing primarily targets high-risk sections of state highway, as well as lowering speeds around many schools and some marae, and putting in place more intersection speed zones,” the spokesperson said.

“Waka Kotahi will await guidance from the Ministry of Transport on specific amendments to Land Transport Rules.”

Hipkins said the roads which would see reduced speed limits would be in the areas of high numbers of death and injuries.

The Government is also ditching the $568 million clean car upgrade and staging the rollout of Auckland light rail, among other cuts, in the name of supporting Kiwis through the cost of living crisis.

Dubbed the policy bonfire, Hipkins has said he is committed to reprioritising what he described as the Government’s bloated work programme to turn attention to “bread and butter” issues.

Last week, the Government also walked back aspects of its land transport plan, after the Herald revealed Transport Minister Michael Wood and transport officials were putting together a plan that would place emissions reduction as a top priority of the transport plan, known as a Government Policy Statement on land transport or GPS.

The plan included changing the way road maintenance funding was used, putting it towards cycleways and bus lanes as well as just fixing roads, but Wood later promised an “emergency-style” plan that responded to the maintenance needs of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Waka Kotahi’s full 2024-27 State Highway Speed Management Plan, which had been planned for release for public consultation in June, had been expected to contain far more extensive changes, including speed limit changes and safety improvements affecting around 20-30 per cent of state highways in the next five years.

By 2030, the agency had hoped to improve the safety of 40 per cent of the country’s highways through lower speed limits or road safety improvements.