There’s just a week remaining before engagement on safer speeds in Northland and north Auckland wraps up.

“It’s been great to see so many people turning out to our pop-up information sessions to tell us about safety concerns they have in their communities. While those face- to-face opportunities are now finished, there’s still time for people to have their say by e-mailing us or visiting our website,” says Steve Mutton, Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relations Northland and Auckland.

Engagement will officially close at 11pm on June 14, before Waka Kotahi begins collating all the community feedback to help determine how safety could be improved for the region.

This may include any speed limit changes to improve safety, which will then be formally consulted on.

When Waka Kotahi began engaging with the community about safer speeds at the beginning of May there had been 14 deaths on Northland roads so far this year, that number now stands at 16.

“It’s saddening to hear that two more people have died on the roads in Northland in the last month. It serves as a reminder of why it’s so important to identify roads where safer speed limits could make a big difference in keeping people from being killed or seriously injured,” says Steve Mutton.

“We know we need to take action on several fronts, from speed limits to encouraging safer choices about how people use our roads and improving the safety of roads and vehicles. It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other, but how they all are part of a system to help keep people safe.”

Even when speed isn’t the direct cause of a crash, it is the single biggest factor that determines whether a person is killed, seriously injured or walks away from a crash unharmed.

This year, nine state highways in Northland and two state highways in Auckland are being reviewed. But no-one knows those roads like those who drive or live along them, which is why Waka Kotahi is seeking valuable and practical local input.

“We’d like people to tell us about places that are hard to get to or from, how safe they feel crossing the highway or letting their children walk or cycle to school in certain areas, and if there are any other sites or information that we need to be especially aware of,” says Mr Mutton.

Waka Kotahi is committed to Vision Zero, which aspires to a New Zealand where no-one is killed or seriously injured on our roads. We’re working to deliver a safe system which acknowledges that everyone can make mistakes on our roads, and that these mistakes should not cost us our lives.

Formal consultation about any proposed speed limit changes will be the next part of the process, after engagement feedback is considered.

You can find out more and share your views by:

• Visiting our website nzta.govt.nz/projects/northland-auckland-speed-reviews/
• Emailing us on northland.speed.reviews@nzta.govt.nz
• Speaking to the team at one of our pop-up events

State highways being reviewed:

· SH1 Pukenui to Kaitaia

· SH10 Pakaraka to Taipa

· SH11 Kawakawa to Paihia

· SH1 Kawakawa to Whangarei

· SH15 between SH1 (north of Kaikohe) and Otaika

· SH12 Omapere to Kaikohe

· SH14 Dargaville to Whangarei

· SH12 Brynderwyn to Omapere

· SH1 Whangarei to Auckland boundary

· SH1 Auckland boundary to Warkworth

· SH16 Wellsford to Waimauku

About Vision Zero

Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy, sets out the goal of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40 percent over the next decade. This sets an initial target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on New Zealand roads by 40% (compared to 2018 levels) by 2030, as a first step towards a long-term goal of no deaths or serious injuries.

Reaching that initial target would mean reducing annual road deaths to less than 230 and serious injuries to less than 1,700 by 2030. Last year 318 people were killed and more than 2,500 were seriously injured on New Zealand roads.

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