A new interactive map shows where slower speed limits are coming to Auckland's roads.
As part of Auckland Transport's (AT's) Safe Speeds programme, from June 30 there will be lower speed limits in Auckland's city centre, and on some rural roads in Rodney and Franklin. Speed limits on approximately 100 other roads across the region will also change.
In 2018, 54 people died on Auckland's roads and another 595 were seriously injured. AT says it is committed to dropping this to zero by 2050.
"We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which priorities human safety over other measures like minor time savings. Setting safe and survivable speeds for our road network is the quickest and most cost-effective way to immediately reduce death and serious injury," says AT's executive general manager of safety Bryan Sherritt.
"Setting safe speed limits is just one part of a significant road safety investment between 2018 and 2028."
What's changing in central Auckland?
AT says the city centre's streets are shared by children, senior citizens, people driving, walking, cycling, scooting or motorcycling.
"To keep them safe, and to make speeds survivable in case of a crash, most speed limits will go down from 50km/h to 30km/h," it says.
"However, Nelson, Hobson and Fanshawe Streets will each have a new speed limit of 40km/h, down from 50km/h. Some shared streets like Federal Street will continue to have a 10km/h speed limit."
What's happening in the rest of Auckland?
Approximately 90 percent of the total area seeing speed reductions are rural roads.
Most of these roads are located in the rural local board areas of Rodney and Franklin. Seventy-five other roads in the following local board areas will also have new speed limits: Waitākere Ranges, Henderson-Massey, Upper Harbour, Howick, Hibiscus and Bays, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and Papakura.
The new speed limit will depend on the road.
"Roads in Auckland's rural areas are tricky to navigate - even for experienced drivers. With several sharp bends, narrow high-speed lanes and low visibility, a simple mistake can lead to devastating consequences," AT says.
"In Franklin, between 2014-2018, there were 89 road deaths or serious injuries; and in Rodney, between 2014-2018, there were 108 road deaths or serious injuries."
To see an interactive map showing the changes, click the link here.
