Group on collision course with government over 'appalling' move to higher speeds

A safe transport advocacy group is taking legal action over the government's rollback of speed limit reductions on state highways around the country.

On Wednesday, the government announced that 38 sections of the network will be reversed to their previous speed limits over the coming months.

New Transport Minister Chris Bishop also said another 49 sections of the network will be put out for public consultation.

But the moves have received a mixed reaction in the mainland, with some community leaders describing the changes as "reckless".

In Nelson, the government's decision means the speed limit on State Highway 6 at Marybank, north-east of the city, will revert to 80 kilometres per hour and to 100 km/h in parts, up from the current limit of 60 km/h.

It is a densely populated stretch of road that is bordered by a shared pathway, residential homes and Clifton Terrace School, which is attended by more than 300 students.

Transport planner Bevan Woodward is part of a charitable trust called Movement that advocates for safe transport for all New Zealanders.

The group lodged an application for a judicial review of the Transport Minister's decision in mid-January. It claims the decision to adopt the Setting of Speed Limits 2024 rule is inconsistent with the minister's objectives under the Land Transport Act.

Woodward said one of the grounds for the review was that it was "unreasonable and perverse" for former Transport minister Simeon Brown to require the reversal of any speed limit reduction put in place because of the presence of a school.

"Local communities were very involved in advocating for safer speeds, they are concerned about their children getting to school and I think New Zealanders in general are really concerned about the rate of deaths on our roads which by international standards are very high."

Woodward said it was "appalling" the government would rush through changes that would affect New Zealanders' safety and result in more deaths.

"Safer speeds is one very effective solution to reducing the carnage, the injuries, the deaths and the delays on our roads caused by crashes."

Atawhai liaison councillor James Hodgson wrote to Transport Minister Chris Bishop last week to raise concerns about the decision to reverse blanket speed limit reductions on State Highway 6.

"This section of state highway has a long history of advocacy from residents for speed limit reductions, noting the 2010 campaign by Atawhai residents, supported by Nelson City Council and then Nelson MP Nick Smith, to reduce the entire stretch from 100km/h to 80km/h," it read.

"Much of the state highway is urban in feel, and includes a shared path used extensively by school children travelling from Dodson Valley to Clifton Terrace School, as well as multiple busy intersections where housing development continues to occur."

Hodgson urged the minister to consider public consultation on this corridor, to give residents an opportunity to offer feedback on this critical stretch of state highway.

"Many of these changes were bundled into the blanket speed limit reductions undertaken by the previous government, and my concern is that they risk being mistaken as such, despite them being quite different in nature."

Others in Nelson have expressed outrage over the rollback.

Nelson sustainable transport group convener Peter Olorenshaw questioned the cost benefit analysis of the time savings on the affected stretches of road.

"If one has been done, what value are they putting on the life of a child compared to a two-minute travel time saving and where is the community consultation about these increases?"

Nelson City councillor Rachel Sanson said reverting to higher speed limits in Marybank was a reckless decision that put children and the community at risk.

"Residents have argued for safer speeds for over a decade, and raising them now ignores both local voices and expert advice on road safety.

"This stretch of SH6 is a densely populated area with a primary school, many cyclists, and pedestrians. Increasing the speed limit here flies in the face of common sense and will inevitably lead to more accidents and near misses."

She said the previous government had listened to the community and taken action to improve safety and she urged the New Zealand Transport Agency and the government to re-consider the changes.

Councillor Aaron Stallard agreed.

"It's frustrating that the government is overriding the wishes of local communities who are reasonably asking for safety for all road users, including children who are cycling and walking to school.

"The stretch of road is a residential area with a school, and is unsafe at the higher speed limits. Local communities should not be punished by the government's politically motivated rush to reverse decisions made by the previous government. "

Nelson MP Rachel Boyack said increasing the speed limit in Atawhai and North Nelson was "outrageous" and went against the wishes of the community, who had campaigned for years for safer speeds.

Commuters want higher speed limits

Another four sections of the network in Canterbury will roll back to their previous speed limits.

Two segments of State Highway 75's Christchurch-Akaroa Road will increase from 80 km/h to 100 km/h, between Halswell and Tai Tapu and Little River and Tai Tapu.

Little River Volunteer Fire Brigade chief John Genefass said although he was "ambivalent" on the rollback, he preferred the road at 80 km/h.

"A lot of people have 'car brain' so to speak and want to go as fast as possible.

"Quite often it's the outliers that come to grief, people that are speeding that we see on the road.

"Whether the speed is 80 km/h or 100 km/h there will always be people who will drive faster."

Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Community Board member Nigel Harrison said those commuting from Birdlings Flat, wanted to see an increase of the speed limit.

He said the speed reductions had resulted in fewer daily bus services between Christchurch and Akaroa.

"For people that were commuting it was a real burden for them."

However, Christchurch doctor Ruth Spearing said based on data seen in Australia, the rollback would lead to more deaths.

"There's a 75 percent chance of surviving an accident if it occurs at 80 km/h versus only a 10 percent chance of surviving if you or the other vehicle is travelling at 100 km/h."

Between 2011 and 2020 there were a total of 739 crashes along SH75 between Christchurch and Akaroa, including nine fatal crashes.

According to the New Zealand Transport Agency, there had been a total of 43 crashes on the road along the road between 2019 and last May.

Of this number 20 occurred on the Barrys Bay side of the highway, which weren't subject to the speed limit changes.

Banks Peninsula MP Vanessa Weenink said a survey showed 75 percent of respondents supported the speed limit rollback following a public meeting last July,