Submission emailed on Review of Speed Limits on Rural Roads

We sent a submission as follows:

This submission is on behalf of the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association. Our paid membership represents more than 100 Waikawa Beach households, more than 12% of them in the Strathnaver area.

1. Our Association has long requested that the speed limit along the full length of Waikawa Beach Road from SH1 to the village entrance should be no more than 80 Kph. We support reducing the speed limit along Waikawa Beach Road from its current 100 Kph to 80 Kph or less.

2. We have surveyed the affected ratepayers and residents who are members of our Association, and have 100% support from them for speed reductions along Emma Drive, Kristin Place, Strathnaver Drive and Reay Mackay Grove, but with the following notes:

   1. In the case of Emma Drive and Kristin Place, feedback suggests that the proposed 80 Kph is still too high and that 60 Kph would be more appropriate.

   2. In the case of Strathnaver Drive and Reay Mackay Grove, feedback supports reducing the current speed limit from 100 Kph. This, though, is a special case as almost everyone believes the current speed limit to be 50 Kph, as in the village. There is unanimous support for reducing the speed along those two roads to 50 Kph, rather than the 60 Kph proposed by the Council.

We propose that the speed limit for Strathnaver Drive and Reay Mackay Grove should be set no higher than 50 Kph, as explained below.

1. There is no speed sign on either road, so it’s a fair supposition that the speed limit is the same as in the village — 50 Kph. No one supports putting up a speed limit sign.

2. While these two roads may technically be rural roads, people view them simply as a continuation of the village. These are not through roads — they don’t lead to any other settlement. They are used almost exclusively by residents and their visitors, and by people whose destination is the beach.

3. In the last 2 or 3 years a large number of the ‘Strathnaver’ properties have been developed with permanent housing or weekend baches and an increasing number of people have taken up full-time residence. These two roads are popular with pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists as well as being well-used by motor vehicles of all sorts, including horse floats. A low speed limit would be appropriate.

4. As one resident pointed out, setting the speed limit to 60 Kph would amount to an *increase* in the speed limit, because of the widespread public perception that the limit is currently 50 Kph.

5. The public perception that the speed limit is the same as in the village is encouraged by the 3 speed bumps along the northern half of Strathnaver Drive. Are there any roads in New Zealand which have speed bumps where the speed limit is 100 Kph?

6. Setting the limit along these two roads to officially be the same as in the village would enhance simplicity, help to unify the two parts of our community, and mean that additional speed signs are not required. On the other hand, setting the limit to 60 Kph (or more) would be perceived as an increase, encourage the perception that our community is divided, and then also presumably mean that speed limit signs would need to be erected.

To: speedlimits@horowhenua.govt.nz

From: wbra.committee@gmail.com

Wednesday 13 March 2019

Re: Review of Speed Limits on Rural Roads

Written by Miraz Jordan
Committee member, Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association
on behalf of the Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association