News Release 

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Council set to reduce speed limits on four Rotorua roads

Rotorua District Council has reviewed current speed limits on a number of district roads and is proposing to cut maximum speed on four roads, subject to community consultation.

The speed limit reduction decisions were taken at a meeting of the Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee this morning.

The four roads and the proposed changed speed limits are:

·                     Tarawera Road: Reduced to 50kph (currently 70kph) from Te Ngae roundabout to just past Lynmore Avenue, or, reduced to 60kph from Te Ngae roundabout to just past Forest View Place [two options]
·                     Hamurana Road: Reduced to 80kph (currently 100kph) from 200m west of Kaska Road to 100m east of Waerenga Road, including Kaska Road
·                     Otaramarae Road: Reduced to 50kph (currently 100kph) from Maniatutu Road to 1060m South of Vercoe Place
·                     Wharenui Road: Reduced to 50kph (currently 100kph) from the end of Porikapa Road

The committee also agreed to reassess the speed limit in the vicinity of Blue Lake/Tikitapu to see if a speed reduction is required.

Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said the changes were about making roads safer for Rotorua communities. She said providing safe neighbourhoods is a key component of the council’s Rotorua 2030 vision and goals.

“Most of these changes are a result of requests from Rotorua residents. The council listened to those requests, researched traffic conditions on the roads in question and explored a range of options before making any decisions.

“In the end, in each of these cases, we came to the conclusion that reduced speed limits would better serve the needs of our communities on these roads – including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and neighbouring households.”

Mrs Raukawa-Tait said she was particularly pleased to see the council proposing to reduce the speed limit on the lower stretch of Tarawera Road.

“The speed of traffic on the northern end of Tarawera Road has been of concern to many people, partly because of traffic volumes and the number of mountain bikers and other cyclists using the road, and more recently because of the additional congestion experienced since the opening of the adjacent Redwood Centre shopping complex.”

Before the council takes any final decisions to make changes to the existing bylaw, residents will have the opportunity to make submissions on the proposed reduced speed limits through a public consultation programme to be undertaken in coming months. Under the bylaw direct consultation is also required with Police, NZTA and the Automobile Association.

ENDS

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