Speed limit changes come into effect for Kāpiti local roads

The Kāpiti Coast District Council is advising motorists that new speed limits for 47 rural roads and three village centres (Paekākāriki, Raumati South and Raumati Beach) will come into effect next week.  

Group Manager Infrastructure Services, Sean Mallon, says the changes were decided by Council following consultation with communities earlier in the year.  

“We’ll be putting up new and updated signs from Monday 15 July, and they should all be in place by the end of the week. We’d like motorists to keep an eye out for them.” 

“Once the signs are in, the speed limits will be enforceable by law and we hope everyone does their bit to help make these roads safer for all users.”  

Mr Mallon says the new limits are about improving road safety and take into account safety risk, the roadside environment and how the road is currently used. They were also set in accordance with national rules and guidelines for speed limits administered by the NZ Transport Agency. 

The Transport Agency’s Regional Transport Systems Manager Mark Owen says he is pleased about the level of support for speed changes and the discussion being had on road safety in the region. 

“Communities from across the region have highlighted that speed is a concern and it’s great to see our council partners taking steps to address this. The Transport Agency is also working to address speed because we know that speed is the number one factor in determining whether people survive a crash.”

The full list of speed limit changes and the rationale for each is available on Council’s website.

www.kcdc.govt.nz

-KCDC

Speed limit changes confirmed for Kāpiti local roads

The Kāpiti Coast District Council has confirmed new speed limits for 47 rural roads and three village centres (Paekākāriki, Raumati South and Raumati Beach) in Kāpiti, following community consultation earlier this year on Stage 2 of a districtwide review.

Council’s Group Manager Infrastructure Services Sean Mallon says the review was in response to public requests for particular roads to have their speed limits looked at by Council, and aims to make roads in Kāpiti safer and more efficient.

“This review has been all about achieving speed limits that reflect the form and function of their road network and importantly, make it safer for all road users,” he says.

The roads under review were assessed and new limits proposed on the basis of safety risk, the road environment including land development, speed limits on adjoining roads and any changes on those roads since original speed limits were set. Council also took into account national rules and guidelines for speed limits administered by the NZ Transport Agency. This was the second and final consultation in the review, which began in mid-2017 with Stage 1, and saw speed limit changes brought in for 36 roads across Kāpiti. 

Mr Mallon thanks everyone who’d contributed to and made comments or submissions on the proposed changes. That included residents, Community Boards, the Police, the NZ Transport Agency, the Automobile Association, Kapiti Cycling Action, the Road Transport and Heavy Haulage associations.

“We received 224 submissions, which showed majority support for each of the proposed speed limit changes. We know there will be some who don’t agree with the decision, but this is ultimately about safety and helping people move around our district for efficiently.” 

The full list of speed limit changes and the rationale can be found on the Council’s website. Council will be in touch with submitters and residents with the details of the final changes.

It’s expected that the new limits take effect from mid-July 2019.

About other speed limit reviews:

The Council’s review of local roads is separate from NZ Transport Agency’s speed limit review of old SH1 roads between Raumati and Peka Peka, which is part of their SH1 revocation work.

-KCDC