Proposed Speed Limit Changes - Phase Three Proposed Speed Limit Changes - Phase Three
Consultation status: Closed
Project zone: Region-wide
Safe Speeds Programme - Phase Three
Auckland Transport’s (AT) Safe Speeds programme is part of an integrated nationwide road safety strategy (Road to Zero). The outcome is to make Aotearoa's roads safe where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.
In Phase three of this programme, AT is proposing to set new permanent speed limits on approximately 1646 roads around Auckland.
AT currently owns and manages around 7,500km of road network. Under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017, AT is legally responsible for reviewing speed limits for roads under its control and, where current road speed limits are found to be not safe and appropriate, it must make changes.
If approved, these changes will be made by amendment to AT’s Speed Limits Bylaw 2019 and come into force in November/December 2022– dependent on public feedback, AT Board approval and implementation considerations.
Project overview
We have reviewed and identified 1646 roads that need new safe and appropriate speed limits.
These roads are:
Around schools: Approximately 980 roads 82 schools around Auckland.
Rural roads: There are 415 rural roads, including areas such as: Waiheke Island, Āwhitu Peninsula, Waitākere, Okura, Stillwater, Waiwera, Whenuapai.
AT proposes changing 90% of Waiheke Island roads. Watch video on Waiheke Island safe speeds.
Town centre roads: Speed reductions in Glen Innes, Devonport and Takapuna town centres. Learn more about proposed speed limits in town centres.
Residential roads: Approximately 58 roads in the Manurewa Coxhead Quadrant.
Community requests: Approximately 41 roads, mostly, in Ponsonby and Rodney.
Rural marae: 18 roads near 8 rural marae.
Access the full list of proposed speed limit changes.
Video: Proposed speed limit changes - Phase Three explained. Watch in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).
Learn more about the proposed speed limit changes in the project brochure and interactive map.
Benefits of safe speeds
Speed determines whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed from a crash. If a pedestrian is hit by a car travelling at 50km/h there’s only a 20% chance they will survive. At 30km/h, the survival rate increases significantly to 90%.
Proposing safe speed limits will result in a number of benefits:
- Reduced number of people getting seriously injured or killed on our roads.
- Potential savings of $4.53m per life saved and $0.5m per injury prevented.
- Safe walking or cycling trips to school safer for children.
- Healthy environmental with lower carbon emissions and improved air quality.
Learn more about how safe speeds save lives.
Reasons for proposed speed limit changes
Unsafe rural roads. Many of the rural roads in this proposal are twisting, have sharp bends and are hilly with narrow unforgiving lanes that pose challenges to even the most experienced drivers. The consequences of small driver errors on such roads can be fatal.
Self-explaining roads. Over 90% of the roads we propose changing the speed limits of are ‘self-explaining roads’ where drivers travel at a lower speed due to the road conditions. In rural areas, this could be due to the road being narrow, windy or hilly. And, in urban areas it could be due to the residential environment and things like speed bumps.
Unsealed roads. Narrow roads with no road markings and poor surface conditions can cause loss of control and leads to crashes on bends and head-on collisions.
Roads without a centreline. Road markings can significantly improve the safety of roads by giving drivers a better understanding of the road alignment.
Safe speeds around schools
The internationally recognised safe and appropriate speed in areas with people walking and on bikes, like around schools, is 30km/h. In Auckland, there are over 560 schools with current speed limits that do not make walking, cycling, and scooting appealing modes of transport, both for children and their parents.
What we are proposing:
- We are helping to meet the target indicated by the Ministry of Transport to have safe speeds near 40% of Auckland’s schools by 30 June 2024.
- To do this, we are proposing speed limit changes on roads around 82 schools under Phase Three of the Safe Speeds Programme.
The majority of these 82 schools are located in residential areas where the actual speeds that vehicles travel at (operating speeds) are already low. Therefore, the changes we propose will simply bring the posted speed limit in line with the speed vehicles are already travelling at.
As part of this proposal, we have prioritised the roads which already have road safety engineering measures like speed humps, or they already have low operating speeds and don’t require them.
View maps of proposed changes around schools
Central Auckland
North Auckland
Devonport Town Centre and School Zone
Takapuna Town Centre and School Zone
South Auckland
Pacific Advance Secondary School
Greenmeadows Intermediate School
West Auckland
Speed limits around marae
There is a disproportionately high number of Māori road deaths and serious injuries. In 2020 16% of death and serious injury occurred in Māori. Auckland Transport has been working closely with Mana Whenua to understand site specific risks around marae as each marae is unique. There are changes to speed limits proposed for eight roads outside of rural marae in Tāmaki Makaurau.
View maps of proposed changes around Marae
Join our webinars
Speaking with you face-to-face is important to us. Just turn up at any time during one of our drop-in sessions and our team will be there to answer any questions you may have.
No matter what happens, we will be running online events that will enable you to ask questions directly to the project team.
Webinar schedule
Tuesday 8 March, 7.30pm to 8pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in Glen Innes Town Centre and Central Auckland - Click here to watch recording.
Wednesday 9 March , 7.30pm to 8pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in the Takapuna and Devonport: Town Centre and School Zones and North Auckland – click here to watch recording
Friday 11 March, 3:30pm to 4pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes near schools in Central Auckland – click here to watch recording
Tuesday 15 March, 7.30pm to 8pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes near schools in North Auckland – click here to watch recording
Wednesday 16 March, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in Central Auckland – click here to watch recording
Thursday 17 March, 6:30pm to 7:15pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in in West/North Auckland - Waitakere Ranges and Rodney rural roads – click here to watch recording
Monday 21 March, 6:30pm to 7pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes around schools in South Auckland and the Awhitu Peninsula – click here to watch recording
Tuesday 22 March, 12pm to 12:30pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes around schools in South Auckland and the Awhitu Peninsula – click here to watch recording
Wednesday 23 March, 3:30pm to 4pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in Aotea/Great Barrier – click here to watch recording
Wednesday 23 March, 7:30pm to 8pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in Waiheke Island – click here to watch recording
Thursday 24 March, 10am to 10:30am
Webinar related to the proposed changes in South Auckland and the Awhitu Peninsula – click here to watch recording
Thursday 24 March, 7:30pm to 8pm
Webinar related to the proposed changes in Mandarin - click here to watch recording
Project details and supporting documents
For more detailed information on why these roads were selected and to view the papers presented to the AT Board on 28 June 2021, please view the files below:
Independent Peer Review of the Proposed Safe Speeds Programme - Phase Three
Proposed Auckland Transport Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2022
Statement of Proposal Proposed Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2022
Schools by Local Board area Proposed Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2022
Attitudes towards Speed Reductions Survey May-21 Proposed Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2022
Safe Speeds Programme history Proposed Speed Limits Amendment Bylaw 2022
The Speed Limits Bylaw 2019 with the Urban Traffic Area maps (PDF 15.6MB)
Translated documents
Te Reo Maori
huringa tepe tere - Speed Limit Changes (PDF 2MB)
简体中文 (Simplified Chinese)
限速变化 - Speed Limit Changes (PDF 2.1MB)
繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese)
限速變化 – Speed Limit Changes (PDF 2.1MB)
한국어 (Korean)
속도 제한 변경 – Speed Limit Changes (PDF 929KB)
Fa'asamoa (Samoan)
suiga faatapulaa o le saoasaoa - Speed Limit Changes (PDF 2.0MB)
Faka-Tonga
liliu vave ʻo e fakangatangatá- Speed Limit Changes (PDF 2.0MB)
Safe Speeds Programme - Phase Two
In Phase Two of the Safe Speeds Programme, Auckland Transport (AT) proposed to set new permanent speed limits on approximately 800 roads around Auckland – predominantly around schools and in South Auckland.
Read more about Proposed Speed Limit Changes - Phase Two.
Note
Any speed limit requests we receive on roads not included in the current proposal will be taken into consideration as part of any future speed limit changes but cannot be added to this proposal. New permanent speed limits may only be set by way of bylaw following a process of proposal and consultation as required by law (including the requirements under the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017). Therefore, AT is unable to set new permanent speed limits for roads that have not been proposed for change or consulted on as part of the currently proposed bylaw amendment.
For comments and queries, email us at ATSpeedProgramme@at.govt.nz.