Speed limit back to 100km/h on all of Napier-Taupō Rd after majority public support

Speed limits along State Highway 5 are about to go up to a 100km/h speed limit. Photo / Paul Taylor

Drivers who wanted all of State Highway 5 from Napier to Taupō to return to 100km/h have got their way.

But one local from a small community on the road says he’s worried drivers will treat the speed limit as a “target” rather than a “limit”, with disastrous results.

Public consultation around increasing the speed limits nationwide has concluded, with an average of 60% of submitters saying they want the speed limit on the Napier-Taupō Rd returned to 100km/h from the current 80km/h, including through townships and villages.

On January 29, the Minister of Transport Chris Bishop confirmed that 38 sections of state highway were subject to speed limit auto-reversal under the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 (the Rule), with a further 49 sections open to community consultation to confirm whether there was public support to retain current lower speed limits.

The three sections of SH5 open for consultation were at Tarawera, Turangakumu to Te Hāroto and Te Pōhue.

The rule specifically required NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to measure levels of public support through consultation, in order to demonstrate “public acceptance”, defined as majority public support.

In these three areas, SH5 Tarawera saw 60% strongly opposed to retaining the current 80km/h speed limit out of 1060 responses, Turangakumu to Te Hāroto saw 61% strongly opposed to the current speed limit out of 1049 responses, and Te Pōhue had 58% strongly opposed to the current speed limit in the area out of 1075 responses.

SH51 from Napier to Clive will also revert to 100km/h, however this was an auto-reversal, and not open to public consultation.

The speed limit in these areas will go to 100km/h on July 1.

Napier MP Katie Nimon said she was happy to see public consultation has resulted in the speed limit on SH5 being reinstated to 100km/h.

“National campaigned on reversing blanket speed limit reductions and we are delivering on that promise,” she said.

“Our speed limit reduction reversals stand to boost economic growth and productivity – allowing people and products to get to where they need to, quickly and safely.

“Instead of solely relying on reduced speed limits to improve road safety, our Government is committed to enhancing road conditions, promoting safer driving and vehicles and focusing on drug and alcohol awareness.”

Te Pōhue resident Norm Brown isn’t opposed to the blanket return to 100km/h, but he is concerned about small communities having a 100km/h “target” on their backs.

“Growing up there was an open speed limit, the white circle with the black slash through it, which meant you can travel up to 100km/h if you want to, but you drive to the conditions or you’re hammered. Now they’ve set a target which is a little bit crazy,” Brown said.

“People think the speed limit is 100km/h, so the road is made for 100km/h, but it’s not.”

Brown would prefer to see the speed reduced through the communities on SH5 down to 70km/h – but above all, he wants to see more Kiwis using common sense when travelling.

“I mean, 800 metres through a community at 70km/h, that’s two seconds off your time. If people are going to have trouble with that then you’re not going to change those people,” he said.

Brown would like to see the police’s “Stay Alive on 5″ campaign continue, as he said it brought the death toll on the road down to zero and helped minimise accidents.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.