Speed limits reduced on more Waikato roads

Some 50kmh speed areas have been reduced to 40kmh in Waikato District. Photo / File

Lower speed limits are being introduced on a number of roads throughout the Waikato district.

Waikato District Council adopted the latest round of speed limit reductions – Amendments to the Speed Limit Bylaw 2019 - on May 6 following an extensive consultation and hearing process.

Making the streets where we live safer was the main driver behind the third year of the three-year plan to assess and consult on the district's speed limits.

The council says the main areas of focus are Raglan, the Newcastle ward (Whatawhata and Te Kowhai) and Tuakau.

There are also other stretches of roads in the district being considered that haven't been captured in previous years.

The council followed the same strategy as the previous round of amendments regarding urban residential areas – reducing speed limits from 50km/h to 40km/h.

A 30km/h speed zone was also signed off for Raglan's CBD along the length of Bow St similar to what has been successfully operating in Hamilton's CBD. This reduction in speed would reduce death and serious harm risk from 70-80 per cent to less than 10 per cent, the council says.

Council has also approved some reductions down to 40km/h in Whatawhata and Tuakau.

And there was a focus on a reduction to 80km/h on rural roads where either development levels or road conditions would mean that a 100km/h may not be suitable.

New speed limit signs are up in Raglan - Wainui Rd, from the Poihakena Marae to Whale Bay has changed from 80km/h to 60km, and residential areas on Upper Wainui Rd and Whale Bay are down to 40km/h.

There signs have gone up to tie in with the current footpath work taking place there.

The rest of Raglan will be done later in the year.

The rest of the new speed limit signs are scheduled to be installed as follows:

• Gordonton, Matangi, Tauwhare and Tamahere – July 6 to 10

• Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia, Horotiu, Te Kowhai – July 13 to 17

• Rotokauri, Whatawhata – July 20 to 24

• Waitetuna, Te Uku – July 27 to 31

• Pukekohe South, Tuakau, Taupiri – August 3 to 7

• Raglan – TBC – will tie in with the finalising of the SH23 revocation from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to Council.

You can also see all the roads with lower speed limits in these areas as a result of the latest round of amendments on the interactive map on the Speed Limit Amendments page of the Waikato District Council website.

The speed limit signs on the map indicate where speed limits have been reduced as a result of the Amendments to the Speed Limit Bylaw 2019.

Lowering speed limits is just one tool used to make roads safer – other tools include significant investment in capital road safety improvements, changes to intersection controls, street lighting, road marking and signage as well as driver education programmes.