Boy, did last week’s EDM about speeding through roadworks touch a collective nerve. People got in touch (which we always enjoy) to recount their own stories, tell us how they approach the situation and suggest what they think could be possible solutions.

We had everything from “Roadworks must be one of the most dangerous jobs in this country” to “I’ve wrapped the front of my car because I don’t like others speeding through and showering it with stones”. And, of course, the consensus: enforcement in New Zealand is just too soft – if it’s even there at all.

“…in the UK … they had number plate recognition cameras at each end of the roadworks and timed how long you took through them. If the resultant average speed was above the limit, you got nailed … the system allowed you to drift above and below a little as long as you ended up in the right zone,” was one comment.

The concept of average-speed-over-distance (ASOD) cameras is interesting, and something I’ve always thought was an elegant way of enforcing speed limits. It’s a concept I was familiar with in South Africa, where it’s commonly used on significant stretches of major national highways, and I had expected to see in New Zealand. A quick google reveals only a trial programme on two stretches of Auckland motorway.

Of course, the biggest advantage of ASOD over the static or mobile speed cameras we’re familiar with is that drivers can’t simply slow down on approach and then speed up again once the camera is in the rear-view mirror. You’re forced to keep your speed within a specific range for kilometres on end.

Another comment was: “… in Australia, when it comes to major road works with speed limits in place, often there is a cop with a radar gun in hand … if you speed, expect a ticket in the mail.”

Indeed, but this solution (as pointed out by the commenter) requires manpower that New Zealand Police doesn’t have. However, if drivers knew there was a chance that at any time, along some random point of any set of roadworks, a cop could be waiting with a radar or laser gun at the ready, there might just be some compliance…

I’ve long held the opinion that the most effective form of enforcement is a police car in the rear-view mirror, and I do believe that New Zealand Police could do more when it comes to speed enforcement. However, so, too, does it need to lead by example… It was just last week where, on the way into Thames, we followed a police car through a set of roadworks with a 50kph temporary speed limit in place – and he just cruised on through at a steady 80kph.

If that’s not the wrong approach, we don’t know what is. And if Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero strategy (which has been thrust back into the limelight in recent months) has any hope of achieving its goals, speed enforcement is just one play of the game that will need to be stepped up. It’ll be more effective than a blanket drop on speed limits, but we’ll give that drum a rest for now…

Take care out there,

Gavin Myers
Editor