5 May 2023
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Proposed Rotorua speed management plan
Enquiry
[enquiry to RLC and Mayor Tapsell regarding the RLC Speed Management Plan which is an item for consideration at next week’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting]
I'm writing up a wee preview to the committee meeting next week and had some comment for response please. It relates to the proposed speed limit changes.
Millers Fashion sales assistant Tadalinka Wright said lowering the limit to 30km/h in the CBD was a good idea but believed the limit would need to be enforced with speed cameras for drivers to adhere to it.
Sunset Primary School principal Eden Chapman said there were issues of speeding drivers “hooning around” the school and did not believe lowering the speed limit would make any difference to that.
His opinion was investing in better roads and better monitoring was money better spent.
“I think it is overkill.”
He believed the proposal would lead to distracted drivers thinking they had more time to look at their phone or emails and lead to driver frustration.
“We can’t keep putting the speed limit down and down until there are no more deaths.”
He said lower speeds around schools was “generally the right idea” but there were lots of times where there were no children present at school and the permanent speed reduction was a “step too far”.
Response
From Mayor Tapsell:
This legislation is being driven by the Government through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Rotorua Lakes Council is developing a speed management plan to contribute to a wider regional plan to address speed reduction at a local level.
Reducing speed can improve safety outcomes and determine whether someone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed from a crash.
Council has already worked alongside our rural schools to improve speed limits, so we’re pleased there will be more progress towards ensuring our children’s safety.
Council can’t enforce speed monitoring, that is the role of Police who currently have limited resources, so the Government would also need to better support Police to enable safer roads.
Speed is not the only way to keep our roads safe so I would also strongly encourage Waka Kotahi to continue investing in improving the standard of our roads, particularly State Highway 5 that runs to and through Ngongotahā.
From RLC organisation:
We informed the reporter the organisation had no comment on the views expressed and we requested that it be clear in any story what the requirements under the new rules are around schools to ensure readers had context. We referred her to the relevant pages in the report in the Committee meeting agenda re schools.