Safer speeds in our neighbourhoods

We're making our roads safer in Horowhenua for everyone, whether you're getting your children to school, driving in streets or visiting another busy area.

Horowhenua District Council is legally required to develop and consult on a Speed Management Plan that is used to set safe and appropriate speed limits in the Horowhenua District, excluding the State Highways as this is the jurisdiction of Waka Kotahi.

The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 came into effect in May 2022. It introduces a new way of implementing speed management throughout New Zealand. The primary purpose of this new process is to facilitate the implementation of safe and appropriate speeds to improve safety, save lives, and prevent debilitating injuries.

Why does Speed Management Matter?

Safe and appropriate speeds give people the best chance of survival without serious injury if they are involved in a crash. A pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle at 30km/h has a strong chance of surviving and avoiding serious injury. The probability of a pedestrian being killed rises as impact speed increases. The probability approximately doubles between 30km/h and 40km/h and again from 40k/h to 50km/h.

Children are some of the most vulnerable road users because, compared to adults, they are generally less visible, have a reduced ability to judge distance and speed and have lower levels of impulse control. Safe speeds have significant benefits for children because not only do they reduce the risk of death, injury or near misses but they also increase the opportunity for children to walk and cycle to school.

Road to Zero - New Zealand's Road Safety Strategy

Developing the Speed Management Plan

The first Horowhenua District Speed Management Plan will cover the period between 2024 and 2034 (ten years) and will be updated with community input every three years.

We are seeking your feedback on our draft Speed Management Plan, as this will help us confirm the changes to be made within the first three years of the plan. Let us know any other improvements you would like Council to consider for subsequent Speed Management Plans.

Our Proposal

We are proposing a staged approach to implementing any changes to the transport network.

In developing this first Speed Management Plan, we have applied safe and appropriate speed limits to our district’s roads that prioritise safety while also considering community wellbeing, the whole of the system, function, movement and place.

With our Implementation plan for 2024-27, we are not proposing any changes to a speed limit that does not align with Waka Kotahi’s assessment of what a safe and appropriate speed for the road is. It is also important to note that this Speed Management Plan will exclude the State Highways as these are managed by Waka Kotahi.

We are proposing that our first Speed Management Plan focuses on:

• Improving safety around schools by applying safe and appropriate speed limits;
• Applying safe and appropriate speed limits in two Horowhenua communities that have previously asked for speed limits to be reduced; and
• Confirming a number of speed limits around the district where there are anomalies between the signposted and legal speed limit. This will not result in the change of any of the signposted speed limits.

Implementation Programme 2024-2027
Proposed Speed Limits around Schools

Maps – Changes Around Schools

Speed Limits on Local Roads

We are proposing to reduce speed limits in Manakau and Waikawa Beach.

This is because the roads in these areas have some of the following characteristics:

• They are characterised as local streets that provide quiet and safe residential access for people of all ages and abilities;
• There are no or few footpaths;
• People walk, cycle, or ride horses on the road or roadside; and
• Some of the roads are very narrow.

In addition, members of these communities have previously asked for speed limits to be reduced during the Long Term Plan consultation process. Therefore we are proposing the following changes as shown on the following maps.

If these proposed changes are implemented, to support lower speed limits in these areas, a programme will be developed to deliver infrastructure improvements where necessary to physically change environments to reduce traffic speeds. This increases safety and encourages a shift to multi-modal transport options.

Confirming Signposted Speed Limits

We are proposing to confirm the current signposted speed limits on some roads. This process is required due to a legal anomaly and will not change any of the speed limits currently sign posted.

We are proposing to complete these changes in Year 1 of the Speed Management Plan. This would be completed as soon as practicable after the Speed Management Plan is certified and ideally no later than June 2024.

Speed Limits of 70km/h or 90km/h

We want to hear from you if you think we've got it right, or if there are any roads that we've missed, or if you believe the areas where the proposed speed limits apply should be longer or shorter.