Ideology over evidence - it's the playbook of this government. What I thought was funny was the actual detail of the changes. The headline would have you imagine a whole bunch of roads would just be reverting to 100km/h but only two of the 38 in the list were changing from 80 to 100. Most were outskirt of towns tweaks from 50 to 60 or 70. Some were only a few hundred metres long. What time saving would those make - a few seconds? Productivity improvement my arse, pure politicking! The more interesting will be the list of 49 released today that will be consulted on.
When Waiheke was consulted over speeds on our windy, often crumbly sharrows I suggested as did many others a speed limit of 30, particularly in built up areas. We have many pedestrians, mobility device users, tourists on bikes & horse riders. We go our reduced speed limits although we don’t have speed cams (alas). People still speed & we have loads of near misses & some accidents. Tourists fall off their ebikes as do those on scooters, mainly on the gravelly bit but also because they are looking at their phones. A week or so after we got our new slower speed areas, Simeon wrote a letter bemoaning the slow speeds on Waiheke. Clearly he had no idea about our roads. We wrote back & invited him to come see. No reply of course. I am sure Chris won’t come either but the PM should know better. Speeding kills & maims. We need better leaders!
I am old enough to remember the 1970's and the 'oil shock'. Carless days were interesting (remember those). But more I remember the ads on tv (public service ads, NZBC), which informed us how to drive to get the most out of the petrol we had - 2 bits of info stand out. Don't accelerate sharply when moving away after a stop sign or traffic lights, as this uses more fuel, and watch your speed - the faster you go the more fuel you use. Other comments on this page are right - a history of the roads, and where communities have asked for lower limits why the hell aren't they being listened to? Scrapping the lower limits just because they were introduced by a previous government is just childish. And the mother in me wants to send them all to their rooms until they can learn to play nicely and act like the adults they are supposed to be!
Empty posturing from a government with no idea how to actually DO anything. Mike Hosking and David Seymour are in favour though. Great. Seems like all sociopaths need is pointless gestures to keep them happy.
Meanwhile the cost of living keeps rising and the health service is falling to bits.
What we need is a history of the roads where the speed limits have been changed. This must include number of accidents, number of deaths and number of serious injuries.If this data is provided over particular dates when the speed limits were changed then the debate will be informed. Currently is just opinion.
<satire> I'm excited about the possibility of increasing New Zealand's productivity to even greater heights by bumping speed limits to 120kph and 80kph around schools (that will keep kids and parents alert and off their phones while the freight trucks and delivery vans get through in double-quick time. Yeah, what could go wrong?🙄
Panel beaters, tyre and brake lining manufacturers, energy companies and the auto industry will be among those who stand to profit from higher speed limits. The question is whether their increased profits will do anything to improve the environment or our quality of life.
I think we already know the answer to that question. Improving anything except lining the pockets of their mates is of zero interest to these bastards.
The crash statistics for these roads will be interesting. Seems like the civil defence sirens are going several times a day here along the 110 km Kapiti Expressway. Much more frequently. Not that having any evidence is likely to make a shred of difference. This political ideology is quite nutty .
Another job for citizen activists⁉️ (I wouldn't rely on THIS lot to be transparent 🤷🏻♀️) keeping track on changes to accidents & incidents is essential evidence for pushback in the future. Apart from the 15secs faster to your destination (barring delays due to accidents of course 😵💫) what about your added delays at A&E with less Drs & nurses & non-essential backroom staff to deal with car accident injuries if they do increase ⁉️
Obeying the law doesn't mean you enjoy or agree with it and if you get sick of the government telling you to do something you don't like you change the government which is why we got rid of the last one
Hi Kevin, I see you're having a rough time defending stupid decisions, so you report to insults. Hmm. Probably says more about you than about the actual problem.
Speed limits need to comply with a national standard. Council-set limits (influenced by various pressure groups) only create confusion for other than locals who never travel outside their immediate district. As one who regularly travels extensively throughout the South Island, the plethora of speed limit changes is both confusing and frustrating. eg Travelling from Picton to Nelson one can encounter the range of 30, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 in various sequences. Nelson to the West Coast or Canterbury via the Lewis Pass encounter open road limits constantly changing to 80kph and back at the advent of corners with entirely adequate speed advisories. The 100kph limit does not require drivers to drive at 100 around corners with and advisory of eg 65.
A universal lower speed limit for open roads (eg 80 or even 70) may appeal to some as a means to reduce the road toll but ignore the result of frustration and simply civil disobedience in the face of unreasonable laws not respected.
⁉️⁉️As someone who drives/has driven those roads many times over decades, I have no problem figuring out the speed limit at any time because a) I pay attention to posted signs & b) my sat nav shows me if I'm unsure. Personally the limits in question are eminently suitable for anyone, & pretty much in line with what I felt safe with rather than the higher limit "allowed", but particularly for all these overseas visitors/workers who aren't used to our roads.
If you ask most people they just want to get to where they are going. You can lecture them about the "facts" but they FEAL frustrated about being forced to travel at 80 or less on a highway.
I agree it might be a factor - but who is "most people"? Some people speed regardless (see the Waiheke comment) but imho "most people" just more or less obey the rules. If it says 50kph in town, that is what they do. It's a stupid, shallow edict that distracts from the bigger issues.
So you think people's feelings should determine safety rules on the road? I would prefer that people apply their cognitive skills to driving and process their emotions and frustrations quietly at home.
This is a deeply shallow policy
Ideology over evidence - it's the playbook of this government. What I thought was funny was the actual detail of the changes. The headline would have you imagine a whole bunch of roads would just be reverting to 100km/h but only two of the 38 in the list were changing from 80 to 100. Most were outskirt of towns tweaks from 50 to 60 or 70. Some were only a few hundred metres long. What time saving would those make - a few seconds? Productivity improvement my arse, pure politicking! The more interesting will be the list of 49 released today that will be consulted on.
When Waiheke was consulted over speeds on our windy, often crumbly sharrows I suggested as did many others a speed limit of 30, particularly in built up areas. We have many pedestrians, mobility device users, tourists on bikes & horse riders. We go our reduced speed limits although we don’t have speed cams (alas). People still speed & we have loads of near misses & some accidents. Tourists fall off their ebikes as do those on scooters, mainly on the gravelly bit but also because they are looking at their phones. A week or so after we got our new slower speed areas, Simeon wrote a letter bemoaning the slow speeds on Waiheke. Clearly he had no idea about our roads. We wrote back & invited him to come see. No reply of course. I am sure Chris won’t come either but the PM should know better. Speeding kills & maims. We need better leaders!
I am old enough to remember the 1970's and the 'oil shock'. Carless days were interesting (remember those). But more I remember the ads on tv (public service ads, NZBC), which informed us how to drive to get the most out of the petrol we had - 2 bits of info stand out. Don't accelerate sharply when moving away after a stop sign or traffic lights, as this uses more fuel, and watch your speed - the faster you go the more fuel you use. Other comments on this page are right - a history of the roads, and where communities have asked for lower limits why the hell aren't they being listened to? Scrapping the lower limits just because they were introduced by a previous government is just childish. And the mother in me wants to send them all to their rooms until they can learn to play nicely and act like the adults they are supposed to be!
Empty posturing from a government with no idea how to actually DO anything. Mike Hosking and David Seymour are in favour though. Great. Seems like all sociopaths need is pointless gestures to keep them happy.
Meanwhile the cost of living keeps rising and the health service is falling to bits.
What we need is a history of the roads where the speed limits have been changed. This must include number of accidents, number of deaths and number of serious injuries.If this data is provided over particular dates when the speed limits were changed then the debate will be informed. Currently is just opinion.
Are you suggesting they actually base policy on evidence?
<satire> I'm excited about the possibility of increasing New Zealand's productivity to even greater heights by bumping speed limits to 120kph and 80kph around schools (that will keep kids and parents alert and off their phones while the freight trucks and delivery vans get through in double-quick time. Yeah, what could go wrong?🙄
Panel beaters, tyre and brake lining manufacturers, energy companies and the auto industry will be among those who stand to profit from higher speed limits. The question is whether their increased profits will do anything to improve the environment or our quality of life.
I think we already know the answer to that question. Improving anything except lining the pockets of their mates is of zero interest to these bastards.
It’s an idealogically driven reactionary move with no crumb of common sense
The crash statistics for these roads will be interesting. Seems like the civil defence sirens are going several times a day here along the 110 km Kapiti Expressway. Much more frequently. Not that having any evidence is likely to make a shred of difference. This political ideology is quite nutty .
Another job for citizen activists⁉️ (I wouldn't rely on THIS lot to be transparent 🤷🏻♀️) keeping track on changes to accidents & incidents is essential evidence for pushback in the future. Apart from the 15secs faster to your destination (barring delays due to accidents of course 😵💫) what about your added delays at A&E with less Drs & nurses & non-essential backroom staff to deal with car accident injuries if they do increase ⁉️
Obeying the law doesn't mean you enjoy or agree with it and if you get sick of the government telling you to do something you don't like you change the government which is why we got rid of the last one
Hi Kevin, I see you're having a rough time defending stupid decisions, so you report to insults. Hmm. Probably says more about you than about the actual problem.
Speed limits need to comply with a national standard. Council-set limits (influenced by various pressure groups) only create confusion for other than locals who never travel outside their immediate district. As one who regularly travels extensively throughout the South Island, the plethora of speed limit changes is both confusing and frustrating. eg Travelling from Picton to Nelson one can encounter the range of 30, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 in various sequences. Nelson to the West Coast or Canterbury via the Lewis Pass encounter open road limits constantly changing to 80kph and back at the advent of corners with entirely adequate speed advisories. The 100kph limit does not require drivers to drive at 100 around corners with and advisory of eg 65.
A universal lower speed limit for open roads (eg 80 or even 70) may appeal to some as a means to reduce the road toll but ignore the result of frustration and simply civil disobedience in the face of unreasonable laws not respected.
⁉️⁉️As someone who drives/has driven those roads many times over decades, I have no problem figuring out the speed limit at any time because a) I pay attention to posted signs & b) my sat nav shows me if I'm unsure. Personally the limits in question are eminently suitable for anyone, & pretty much in line with what I felt safe with rather than the higher limit "allowed", but particularly for all these overseas visitors/workers who aren't used to our roads.
I think adults are capable of adjusting their speed when they see a sign. It's one of the early lessons in driver education. Safety trumps expedience.
If you ask most people they just want to get to where they are going. You can lecture them about the "facts" but they FEAL frustrated about being forced to travel at 80 or less on a highway.
Absolutely think this is a factor, yes.
I agree it might be a factor - but who is "most people"? Some people speed regardless (see the Waiheke comment) but imho "most people" just more or less obey the rules. If it says 50kph in town, that is what they do. It's a stupid, shallow edict that distracts from the bigger issues.
So you think people's feelings should determine safety rules on the road? I would prefer that people apply their cognitive skills to driving and process their emotions and frustrations quietly at home.