Final week to have your say on Western Bay’s Speed Management Plan

Do you care about the speed limits on the local roads you drive? If the answer is yes, be sure to share your views on Western Bay’s draft Speed Management Plan.

Consultation on Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s draft Plan is open for one more week until 5pm Thursday 23 November.

This is Council’s first Speed Management Plan and is a requirement under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor, James Denyer, says we’ve had a great response to the survey so far with plenty of people sharing valuable feedback.

“We value your feedback to help us make the best decisions for our community. There’s still time to have your say and I encourage you to join the kōrero to help make sure we’ve got the settings right for our speed limits to improve safety and maintain efficiency,” adds Mayor James.

“As a Council, we want to balance Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s recommendations for significantly lower speed limits with a pragmatic approach that achieves community buy-in. We want to improve safety on our roads, whilst not excessively hindering their primary purpose, which is to move people and goods around efficiently,” he says.

Western Bay’s draft Speed Management Plan includes:

• A focus on safer speeds around schools, including a variable speed limit of 30kph at the drop-off and pick-up times and 50kph at other times for urban schools and 60kph for rural schools.
• Maintaining a 50kph speed limit in urban areas with the exception of schools, marae, town centres and community identified areas.
• A proposal for an 80kph speed limit in rural areas with the exception of schools, marae and community identified areas.
• A proposal for town centres in Te Puke and Ōmokoroa to have a speed limit of 40kph. Waihī Beach already has this speed limit and as Katikati’s main road is a state highway, Waka Kotahi has proposed a 40kph speed limit which Council fully supports.
• Prioritising areas with the highest need first in the next three years; including schools, Māori communities, town centres, identified rural roads and community identified roads.

A range of criteria were used to determine appropriate speed limits for our local roads, including the safe speeds identified by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, along with community feedback and local knowledge - through the Your Place Tō Wāhi consultation earlier this year, and ongoing kōrero with schools, Māori communities and community boards.

“These conversations have guided our thinking, but before we go any further and begin to make these proposed changes, we want to check-in with you and see whether we’ve got the balance right? Have we missed anything?” says Mayor James.

The Western Bay Speed Management Plan only applies to our local road network. Waka Kotahi has developed an interim Draft Speed Management Plan for the State Highway network.

Check-out Mayor James’ overview of the draft Speed Management Plan here.

How to join the kōrero

Consultation is open until 5pm Thursday 23 November via the following options:

• Online, wānanga ipurangi - head to the Have your Say web page to provide your feedback through our interactive map or survey, visit: https://haveyoursay.westernbay.govt.nz/smp
• Hard copy, pepa mārō – printed feedback forms are available at all library and service centres.
• Email, īmēra – email your feedback to haveyoursay@westernbay.govt.nz