We are responsible for setting speed limits for local roads within the district, this does not include state highways which are the responsibility of NZTA Waka Kotahi.

To meet new regulations and align with the NZTA Waka Kotahi's national road safety strategy, we developed the Interim Speed Management Plan (ISMP). The ISMP reviews and amends the speed limits and implements speed management infrastructure, as required, which enables us to reduce the risk to road users.

Variable speed limits are enforceable speed limits that can be activated during peak school traffic times. The school zone speed limits will operate from 35 minutes before school until the start of school, and from five minutes before school ends until 20 minutes after school ends. They may also operate for 10 minutes at any other time when there is school related activity on the road.

For the rest of the time outside of these hours, the regular permanent speed limit will apply.

Variable speed limits are one way of making roads safer for children outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times.

The variable speed limit, and the electronic speed limit signs, will reinforce driver expectations of the likely presence of children, and help encourage safe and active travel to school.

The school gate can be a busy place during school drop off and pick up times, and we know that our rangatahi travel to school in lots of different ways; some bus and then walk, some cycle or scoot, and plenty get driven in cars.

Having lots of vehicles and students heading to the same area can mean accidents happen, and we want to ensure that school zones are safer for everybody in the community. Lowering the speed limit means everybody has more time to react on the road and will reduce the risk of serious injuries in the event of accidents. It makes the streets safer for everybody.

The speed review process involves a number of steps to help us determine the speed limits. One step is completing a technical assessment which takes into account the road itself, the traffic volumes, and the way people are currently travelling on the roads.

For the financial year 2023/24, we are making a start on five schools and settlements for the first round of improvements. Click on each tab on the table above to see the safety improvements planned for each school and settlement.

After this initial implementation, we will be working with the rest of the schools and affected communities as part of our 2024-2027 Speed Management Plan programme. We will contact the schools once we have more information about implementation and funding, as it is dependent on NZTA approval.

Changes to speed limits around schools for the first set of schools will come into effect by June 2024, once the new permanent and variable signs are in place.

Yes, variable speed limits are enforcable by law.

The planned speed limit change at Manawaru is currently on hold.

The community at Manawaru presented a petition to Council about the speed limit changes, and the staff are working on taking this petition formally to Council to get a decision on how we proceed. Keep an eye out on this page for any updates.  

Yes, we publicly consulted on our proposed speed management plan in March and April 2023, and have used people’s feedback, alongside our technical reviews, to make our decisions on safe and appropriate speed limits.