New Far North speed limits adopted
New speed limits proposed for roads in Okaihau, Kaeo and Waimate are being adopted as part of a nation-wide strategy to reduce road accidents.
New speed limits proposed for roads in Okaihau, Kaeo and Waimate are being adopted as part of a nation-wide strategy to reduce road accidents.
Far North District Council adopted proposals to amend speed limits on 55 district roads in Kaeo, Waipapa, Waimate North and Okaihau during its 21 May meeting. The new limits will be legally adopted after amendments are made to the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019, and road signs on each of the affected roads are replaced. Where practical, replacement signs will be installed as part of normal maintenance contracts.
Mayor John Carter says the speed limits review was prompted by the Government’s Safer Journeys Strategy, as well as concerns raised by residents about speed on a number of district roads. The review was launched in October 2019 with a month-long public consultation on the first group of roads to be reviewed.
“We received a total of 175 submissions representing a wide range of views. Many supported the proposed lower limits, while some wanted limits lowered even further. Others rejected the idea of speed limits altogether.”
He says several changes were made to the original proposal in response to submissions. One example was reducing the speed on Oromahoe School Road from the current 100km/h limit to 40km/h, instead of the 60km/h limit proposed.
For other roads where submissions demonstrated no clear preference or new factors were highlighted, site visits have sometimes resulted in other changes to the proposal. For Sandys Road, for example, the proposed speed limit of 80km/h was adopted, except on the final section of road accessing Lake Manuwai recreation area. A speed limit of 40km/h will now apply to that part of Sandys Road.
The Okaihau-Kaeo-Waimate review was the first part of a district-wide review that will assess speed limits in stages for every Far North District Council-controlled road. The next areas to reviewed will be Kaitaia-Awaroa and Kohukohu-Broadwood, which will be assessed together. Bay of Islands-Kerikeri will follow. Speed limit reviews are prioritised according to road accident history and risk. Dates for the next tranche of speed limit reviews and consultations are yet to be confirmed.
A full list of new speed limits in the Okaihau-Kaeo-Waimate Review Area are available on the speed limits bylaws page of the FNDC website.