Taupō District Council releases speed management plan for consultation

Taupō District rural drivers may have to get used to a speed limit of 80km/h. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Taupō District Council is proposing speed limit changes throughout the district with some speeds being reduced to 30km/h.

Public consultation opened on Monday for the council's Speed Management Plan, which includes an overall strategy to setting speed limits over the next 10 years as well as outlining an initial set of speed limit changes over the next three years.

The proposed changes do not involve state highways. These are the responsibility of Waka Kotahi – the NZ Transport Agency.

Council senior transport engineer (strategy) Bryson Huxley says the overarching goal of the plan is to help create safe liveable urban streets, reduce serious accidents, and improve the safety experience for all local road users. Many residents have expressed a wish to make their streets, and those around schools, safer.

"We want to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. We found speed was a direct factor in 25 per cent of the 147 fatal and or serious crashes over the past 10 years on Taupō district roads. People make mistakes, but crashing at a lower speed greatly reduces harm," Bryson says.

The speed reductions will be introduced in tranches over the next 10 years, with the first set introduced in the next three years: relating to roads and routes where council expect to bring the greatest reduction in crashes, the roads that connect to these to ensure the network is easy to navigate, streets where there are lots of people moving around, for example in town centres and outside schools, and lastly roads where the community are calling for change.

Outside schools it is proposed that speeds will reduce to 30km/h during drop off times.

A maximum speed of 30km/h is proposed for Tūrangi and Taupō town centres, dropping to 10km/h on Roberts St, between Tongariro St and Ruapehu St.

The open road speed limit will be reduced to 60km/h on local rural roads that are narrow and/or windy, including the town end of Mapara Rd, and down to 80km/h on rural roads that are mainly straight but have hazards on them, including most rural roads between Taupō Town and Kinloch Village.

Speeds will also reduce in other high activity areas such as outside shops or busy neighbourhoods around the whole district.

Submissions are being called on two topics, firstly if you agree with the method used to set consistent speed limits across the district, and secondly if you agree with the proposed lower speeds proposed in the next three years for specific roads.

You can make online submission at www.submissions.taupo.govt.nz, send an email to the council at info@taupo.govt.nz or phone 376 0899 to request a submission form is posted to you. Submissions close on Friday, May 13, at 4.30pm.