The four weeks consultation period on the proposed changes in the Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan finishes at 5pm on Monday 12 December.

Roughly 1000 feedback submissions have been received to date on proposed changes to speed limits on over 500km of New Zealand’s state highway network.

Vanessa Browne, Waka Kotahi National Manager Programme and Standards, says it’s important that those who want to have their say on the proposals make their views known.

Information on the plan and links to make submissions can be found on the Waka Kotahi website: www.nzta.govt.nz/ISMP

“The feedback we receive from the public on these proposals will be considered by Waka Kotahi alongside our own analysis and the feedback we get from partners, interested groups and organisations. All of that information will help to shape the final shape of the Interim State Highway Speed Management Plan,” says Browne.

“The changes to speed limits which we’re proposing are significant, and they are also carefully targeted. We’re proposing to lower speed limits on 552km of state highways at 444 locations across New Zealand, including on 125km of highways outside 269 schools and 11 marae.

“That represents about 4% of the total 11,000km state highway network. We’re not proposing blanket reductions in speed limits, but rather targeting sections of the state highway network where lower speed limits can make a big difference in reducing crashes, or where communities are asking for lower limits,” Browne says.

Once the final plan is approved, the speed limit changes and other safety improvements will be delivered over the following two years through to mid-2024, and by the end of 2027 for schools.