Speeding motorists have been put on notice they will be fined after 600 Auckland roads had speed limits reduced last month. Video / Will Trafford
More than 10,000 people have had a say on lowering speed limits on suburban and rural roads in Auckland.
Auckland Transport is proposing to drop the speed limit of many suburban streets from 50km/h to 30km/h, including the CBD, and lower speeds on 600km of high risk rural roads tomake roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists and residents.
When public consultation closed yesterday - the same day New Zealand experienced one of its deadliest days for road crashes when nine people were killed - 11,007 submissions were received by AT.
Hundreds of streets are being targeted for lower speed limits, the majority in or around Auckland's CBD including Wynyard Quarter and surrounding areas such as Freemans Bay and St Heliers.
Lower speeds are also proposed in rural Franklin and Rodney due to a rise in deaths and serious injuries in these areas.
Lower speed limits are being proposed for Auckland.
The proposed measures have led the Automobile Association calling for a "more balanced approach" - it opposes a blanket 30km/h speed limit in the CBD - and strong support from groups like Bike Auckland to do more than save lives but make the city a place that's a joy to get around.
AT chief executive Shane Ellison said Auckland was facing a road safety crisis with a 78 per cent increase in deaths and a 68 per cent rise in serious injuries since 2014.
"The old adage that speed kills, is absolutely, and tragically, true. Lowering speeds and working with police to enforce those limits is a proven tool internationally to be one of the easiest and most effective interventions available."
Ellison was pleased a number of submissions have come from organisations representing large sections of the community, such as District Health Boards, universities and school boards, the AA, Victim Support and Local Boards.
"We also received many submissions from people wanting their local street or neighbourhood to have speeds lowered. While those areas were not the focus for this proposal, we will certainly take them into account in the future."
Submissions are currently being analysed and those who have requested will present to a hearings panel of AT board members and senior executives later in April.
If adopted, the speed limit changes will come into effect in August this year.
