Porirua City will seek feedback from residents on whether to lower speed limits on some rural roads, to make them safer and to tie in with NZTA’s proposed speed reduction on State Highway 58.
A review is underway on the speed limits on Bradey Road, Belmont Road, Flightys Road, Murphys Road, Mulhern Road, Moonshine Road, Harris Road and Coroglen Rise. The current limit is 100km/h but it is proposed these roads have a limit of 60km/h.
All but Coroglen Rise are roads off State Highway
58. NZTA is proposing reducing the speed limit on SH58 from 100km/h to 80km/h
from Bradey Road to State Highway 2, and is seeking public feedback on this.
Because the proposals are closely linked, the Council is carrying out a joint consultation with NZTA, from 20 March until 20 April.
The Council is also proposing the same speed reduction for Coroglen Rise, off Airlie Road in Plimmerton, so will consult on that at the same time.
Mayor Mike Tana said the review was about safety and consistency.
“We’ll be looking at whether reducing traffic speed will help road safety by reducing accidents, and whether the lower limit is a more accurate picture of the speeds actually used on those roads,” he said.
“If these roads can’t safely be driven at 100km/h then it can create confusion for motorists by having that as the speed limit.
“Speed testing has shown a safe and comfortable speed would be in the range of 40km/h to 60km/h,” Mayor Tana said.
“It would also be appropriate and generally expected by road users that a narrow, local rural road would have a lower speed limit than a State Highway.”
A similar situation applies with Coroglen Rise which has a current limit of 100km/h but comes off Airlie Road which had its speed lowered to 60km/h in 2005.
“This gives a potentially confusing signal to motorists that Coroglen Rise is a faster and safer road than Airlie Road,” Mayor Tana said.
The lower limits are in line with the new NZTA Speed Management Guide for setting speed limits.
“It would be easier for motorists if all the rural roads in the city have a similar speed limit. The proposed 60km/h is consistent with the limits already in place on Grays Road and Paekakariki Hill Road,” Mayor Tana said.
“But we want to hear what you think, so have your say.”
Submission forms are available from the public consultation page of our website www.poriruacity.govt.nz or from the Council building at 16 Cobham Court, Porirua.
Open days will be held to discuss the proposed changes will be held at Pāutahanui School on:
20 Mar 2018
