These roads are areas where there have been a lot of crashes due to unsafe speeds, so reducing speed limits will improve safety for all road users
We know these roads are unsafe as they have some of the highest numbers of crashes in our city, indicating a mismatch between the existing speed limit and what is considered the safe or appropriate speed limit for these areas. Upgrading the road isn’t a viable option in most of these cases, so a speed limit reduction is a good approach to improve safety.
Milson Line
We propose to lower the speed limit on Milson Line – from Flygers Line to about 200 metres northwest of its intersection with Richardsons Line – from 80km/h to 60km/h.
Description of proposed changes
This small section of Milson Line has had a high number of crashes, primarily at the intersection with Richardsons Line. In the past 10 years, there have been 8 crashes, with 7 of those occurring at the intersection with Richardsons Line, including one fatal crash.
The current 80km/h speed limit ends at the intersection with Flygers Line, where the speed limit drops to 50km/h in the residential area. We propose to lower the speed limit for this short section of Milson Line from 80km/h to 60km/h. This will signal to drivers that a slower speed around the intersection with Richardsons Line is appropriate. The lower speed limit will also make it safer for drivers turning into or out of Richardsons Line to enter the main road.
Waka Kotahi’s safe and appropriate speed for this section of Milson Line is 40km/h. We do not believe this is appropriate due to the lack of roadside development. The current average speed is 70km/h.
Summerhill Drive
We propose to lower the speed limit on Summerhill Drive – from the Fitzherbert Bridge to Tennent Drive – from 60km/h to 50km/h.
Description of proposed changes
Summerhill Drive is a key north-south link from SH57 to Palmerston North. The average speeds range between 54km/h for the lower section of the road, and 62km/h for the upper section.
Waka Kotahi has assessed the safe and appropriate speed for this road as 40km/h. We think that 40km/h is too slow for the road environment but agree that a slower speed will make it safer for the range of road users in this part of the city. We are also planning to build a separated cycleway along this road early next year.
Kahuterawa Road
We propose to lower the speed limit on Kahuterawa Road from 80km/h to 60km/h for the sealed section, and to 30km/h for the unsealed section. We are also proposing 60km/h for three roads accessed off Kahuterawa Road – Birch Way, Lacebark Drive and Greens Road.
Description of proposed changes
Kahuterawa Road is the main route from SH57/Old West Road to Arapuke Forest Mountain Bike Park. It also makes up part of the Te Araroa Trail, a popular tourist track. However, the road is very narrow, windy and partly unsealed.
There have been 18 crashes along Kahuterawa Road over the past 10 years – all of these involved a loss of control, which are often caused by inappropriate speed for the environment. Crash reports claim the drivers were travelling at speeds too fast for the conditions of the road, even though they were travelling below the speed limit. This suggests the current speed limit is not safe and appropriate.
Waka Kotahi has assessed the Safe and Appropriate Speed for Kahuterawa Road as 60km/h. We think that this speed limit is still too high for the unsealed section, which narrows to 3.5 metres wide and leads to the bike park, where there are higher numbers of vulnerable road users.
The average speed for the sealed section of Kahuterawa Road is 62km/h. The average speed for the unsealed section is 39km/h.
Turitea Road
We propose to lower the speed limit on Turitea Road, and each side road, from 80km/h to 60km/h.
Description of proposed changes
We do not propose changing the speed limit for the upper section of Turitea Road, from the intersection with SH57 to Harts Road. This section is wider and straighter than the rest of the road. There is also a separate proposal to install an intersection speed zone (ISZ) for the intersection of Turitea Road and Valley Views, which will improve the safety of that intersection.
The rest of Turitea Road is narrow and winding with some challenging corners and narrow bridges that make the current 80km/h speed limit unsafe. Waka Kotahi assesses the safe and appropriate speed as 60km/h. The average speed for Turitea Road is 62km/h, but drops to 50km/h in some places. These lower average speeds are likely due to the road design preventing drivers from consistently reaching the current speed limit.
In the past 10 years there have been 16 crashes on Turitea Road and its side roads, with 11 of those being loss-of-control crashes. They are often caused by inappropriate speeds for the road environment and could have been avoided if the drivers were travelling at lower speeds.