Local children will have safer journeys to and from school next year, after Councillors agreed to introduce a 30km/h speed limit around schools during their adoption of a new Interim Speed Management Plan.

The 30km/h limit will be permanent around schools in urban areas, while rural schools will have variable speed limits, meaning motorists will have to slow down during the peak activity times, morning and afternoon.

Infrastructure and Open Spaces Group Manager Neil McCann says the community has expressed support for lower speeds around schools and he hopes the change will give parents more confidence to allow their children to walk or cycle to school.

“A lower limit around schools gives drivers more time to react to hazards, decreases the severity of accidents and has a minimal impact on travel times, so we see this as a real win for our community.

“It also aligns with what will be happening nationally, so in the future, no matter where you are in the country, drivers will know that 30km/h is the limit around schools.”

The Interim Speed Management Plan introduces three principles for setting speed limits on local roads. They are lowering speed limits around schools, urban fringes and areas with a high number of active users such as pedestrians or cyclists.

The plan was produced after the Government passed new legislation requiring road controlling authorities to develop speed management plans every three years. Public consultation on the draft plan attracted over 80 submissions earlier this year.

Mr McCann says the adopted plan provides a more flexible approach to speed management that better acknowledges local conditions.

“Previously it was quite a slow process that required public consultation before each change,” he says. “Now we can intervene faster when changes in the local environment require it and it aligns with the principles in this plan.

“We also know that speed is just one part of the road safety puzzle, and we’re committed to our ongoing programme of improving our road network.”

Council staff will now look at exactly where the new school speed limit zones should start and end, before presenting a report to Council for approval early in the New Year.

The speed limits will then be logged in the National Speed Limit Register for certification by Waka Kotahi, after which, signs will be installed and the limits will become enforceable.

Some $600,000 of funding is in place for the 2022/23 financial year to support the changeover. Council expects the work to be completed before June.