Road safety  |  10 Oct 2022

Share this story

More than 500km of streets in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula will benefit from having speed limits lowered as part of the Safe Speed Neighbourhoods Programme.

One of the action items in New Zealand’s Road to Zero Strategy is to have safe speed limits around all schools by the end of 2027, with an interim target of 40 per cent of schools by June 2024.  

“This target aligns with the Council’s goal of improving safety on local roads and is a key priority for us. We want people in the community to get where they’re going safely regardless of how they travel,” Transport Operations Manager Stephen Wright says.

“We’re prioritising streets, neighbourhoods and settlements around schools to make it safer for whānau to get to and from school.

"Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has changed the way speed limits are set which encourages us to implement an area-wide approach for consistency, especially around schools, using permanent 30km/h speed limits," he says. 

On the city’s busier roads such as Riccarton Road and Papanui Road, the Council proposes to use variable 30km/h speed limits that will operate during school start and finish times only.

When everyone travels a bit slower, people feel safer to use the street and walk, scoot or bike to parks, schools and local shops.

“No one expects to crash, but mistakes happen – including by people who are usually careful and responsible drivers. Regardless of the cause of a crash, speed is the difference between someone being able to walk away relatively unharmed, or being seriously injured or killed,” Mr Wright says.

The current consultation has planned changes for the next two to three years. However, a 10-year plan is being developed for short and long-term speed changes.

“We’ve heard community concerns about vehicles travelling at excessive speeds through local streets and to address these, we’ve been introducing lower speed limits through the Slow Speed Neighbourhood Programme,” Mr Wright says.

“We installed five Slow Speed Neighbourhoods in the last year, and there is funding for five more this year and five in the following year.”

The Council is keen to hear from the community if there is anything it needs to know before any changes are made towards making Christchurch and Banks Peninsula safer to get around.

Find out  more here.