Rotorua residents have until Friday to have a say on proposed changes to local speed limits that could set 75 per cent of the city area at 30km/h.

More than 800 submissions have been received so far on the district’s draft Speed Management Plan and consultation closes on August 18, Rotorua Lakes Council said.

The council is seeking feedback on aspects of the plan, which has been developed in line with National Transport Rule guidelines with a priority to reduce speed around all Rotorua schools and within the CBD to 30km/h.

The rule is part of the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero initiative and aims to set appropriate speeds around schools.

Schools and the council could determine this area, whether it was a road running past a school gate or a wider area including roads with a “higher volume of active-mode travel”, the agency’s website said.

The council’s infrastructure and environment deputy chief executive, Stavros Michael, said the council did not have the ability to change the Waka Kotahi mandate for 30km/h around schools but feedback was sought on other proposed changes.

The above is what a radius of 1km around Rotorua schools looks like, and how many streets would be set to 30km/h. Photo / Rotorua Lakes Council

As previously reported by Local Democracy, council staff have recommended applying the new limit to a 1km radius around schools as, while this was not the smallest it could be, it was internationally recognised as a manageable walking distance for children.

It would mean 75 per cent of the city area would be 30km/h - previously labelled “flat-out dumb” and an example of “overreach” by two Rotorua councillors.

Local streets and CBD streets would also be 30km/h, as would urban connectors such as Sunset Rd outside schools.

Michael said there had been 430 deaths and serious injuries in the Rotorua district in the past 10 years “causing significant social costs”.

“The changes proposed in the Speed Management Plan aim to decrease the number of speed-related crashes and ensure our transport network connects people and places in safe, accessible and smart ways.”

Of the roads with a proposed new speed limit of 20-50km/h, 86 per cent had speed limits higher than the safe and appropriate speeds recommended by Waka Kotahi.

“We all have a responsibility to strengthen parts of the transport network — things like safe roads with safe speeds, safe vehicles and encouraging safe choices,” Michael said.

“This is the community’s chance to have a say on how the approach to setting safe speed limits is shaped for the next 10 years.”

The council said once it had adopted a Speed Management Plan it must be submitted to Waka Kotahi for certification and then to the Regional Transport Committee for integration into a Regional Speed Management Plan.

There would be public consultation on a draft regional plan.

After a regional plan was adopted, the council would implement speed limit reductions around schools initially with other changes to be phased in after that.

Provide feedback:

• Fill out the submission form online, at Rotorua Lakes Council customer centre or at Rotorua Library at Te Aka Mauri.
• Email [email protected]
• Phone Rotorua Lakes Council on (07) 348 4199