Speed limit on rural roads to be lowered

The 100km/h speed limit on some rural roads will be lowered in an effort to reduce New Zealand's road toll.

Land Transport New Zealand has been working with local government on plans to drop the limit from 100km/h to 90km/h on some of the more dangerous stretches.

Plans to increase the speed limit to 110km/h on wider, longer roads were shelved when Transit engineers found none of New Zealand's roads were suitable.

The new approach to speed will kick off in Wellington by the end of this year and if successful will spread to 40 other danger spots throughout the country.

"They will be roads where there is a particular risk," Janice Rodenberg of LTNZ said. "It's not a blanket limit but it will start off as one or two and then go to maybe 30 or 40 sites around the country."

The trial roads will be monitored by LTNZ and local councils to see if the lower speed limit is effective.

Road surface, gradient, curvature, width and traffic are calculated when deciding which speed suits a road.

Guidelines are in place so drivers have plenty of notice of lower speed limits.

"We want to make sure people aren't confused by the change in limits," Ms Rodenberg said. "If it drops to 90km/h it has to stay there for 10km."

Transport Minister Harry Duynhoven said if the approach were successful it would correct the current situation where the 100km/h speed limit for a four-lane divided motorway applied to a undivided rural road.

"Setting appropriate speed limits for the road will assist motorists who drive too fast for the conditions but are still under the legal speed limit."

Acting national road policing manager John Kelly said police were happy to see the limit reduced on some of the more dangerous rural roads.

He said the new approach to speed might also see the limit rise from 50km/h to 60km/h on some roads, if the conditions were appropriate.

"If a road feels like you could drive 100km/h on it but there is a hidden danger, then we have to set a lower speed limit so people will slow down."

Mr Kelly said police did not expect to issue more tickets because of the speed limit reduction.

Plenty of notice of the speed change would be given and because of the nature of the roads concerned, drivers would naturally reduce speed anyway.

"We are not interested in revenue at all and in fact the number of tickets issued around New Zealand is steadily declining. If the speed limit is more appropriate to the road then there should actually be less tickets."

LTNZ said the reason for the change was to save lives.

"Everything we do is to save lives and decrease the number of serious accidents on our roads. Speed is one of the biggest killers and we are addressing that."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY