City eyes 30km/h limit

DETERMINED: Rob Vinsen backs moves to reduce the speed limit on rural roads from 100km/h to 80km/h. PHOTO/FILE

Whanganui should slash speed as part of review, says councillor

Whanganui motorists could be facing 30km/h speed restrictions in the central city.

The idea has been flagged by councillor Rob Vinsen and it will be considered as part of the council speed limits bylaw review.

The 30km/h maximum follows earlier discussions around reducing the speed limit on the district's rural roads from 100km/h to 80km/h.

In November the council discussed slowing traffic on the Whanganui River Rd which had been strongly supported by the Tamaupoko Link, council's iwi connection, because of increasing tourist traffic on the road and cyclists using the Mountains-to-the-Sea cycle trail.

Councillors then decided to look at a blanket limit of 80km/h on all rural roads.

Mr Vinsen told this week's council meeting that he supported reducing the rural limit and wanted council to look at reducing the speed limit in the city's central business district to 30km/h.

He said other councils around the country were adopting the 30km/h limit and there was evidence to support such a move. His suggestion will now be included in the bylaw review.

Meantime the suggested district-wide 80km/h limit has been parked up at the request of the NZ Transport Agency.

The agency is carrying out trials on an 80km/h limit on roads in the Waikato and it has asked Whanganui and other councils pondering similar decreases to wait until trials are over.

Rui Leitao, council's senior roading engineer, said it was expected the new speed limit guides that will come from the trial would align with what the Whanganui council wanted to do.

However, he said there was nothing to stop council pushing for an 80km/h speed limit on the River Rd. While sealed, the road is generally narrow and for much of its length winds along the banks of the Whanganui River.

Mr Leitao said with the exception of some key rural routes, the general safe driving speed for all the other rural roads was no more than 80km/h.

More consultation would follow with the rural community board and NZ Police, and council would then need to approve a draft of the bylaw before it went out for public consultation. The council was bound to review its bylaw as a legal requirement and because circumstances on road use were changing.

"The existing bylaw is valid until 2018 but a review is required due to the changing environment along the Whanganui River Rd," he said.