Proposed Lower Speed Limit for New Plymouth CBD

A proposal to reduce the speed limit in New Plymouth’s CBD to 30km/h will go out to the public for their feedback.

Tonight (Tuesday) New Plymouth District Council endorsed the idea in principle so that the proposal could be opened to public consultation.

“The idea is to create a low-speed zone that is safer for pedestrians, the mobility-impaired, cyclists, and all other users in the CBD,” says Manager Roading Assets Max Aves.

“As it stands the average vehicle speed in the CBD is about 32km/h now, although it ranges from 43.6km/h on Queen Street to 18.1km/h on Brougham Street.

“A standard 30km/h limit would bring consistency into a high-traffic area for both vehicles and pedestrians.”

Details on how people can have their say on the proposal will be released shortly.

According to the New Zealand Transport Agency there have been 272 reported crashes within the CBD in the last 10 years. Of these, 22 have involved pedestrians, five involved cyclists, and 12 involved motorcycles/scooters.

The speed limit would apply to the following streets:

• Queen Street.
• Robe Street from Powderham Street to Devon Street West.
• Egmont Street.
• Brougham Street from Powderham to Ariki streets.
• Currie Street.
• Liardet Street from Courtenay Street to St Aubyn/Molesworth streets.
• Gover Street from Courtenay to Gill streets.
• Devon Street Queen to Gover streets.
• King Street from Queen to Brougham streets.
• Ariki Street.
• Gill Street from Currie to Gover streets.

A 30km/h limit is used in shopping districts around the country including Hamilton, Blenheim, Mt Maunganui and Wellington. “This follows international best practice in many cities around the world where speeds are being reduced in urban environments,” says Mr Aves.

The speed limit reduction is one of four Let’s Go initiatives to make the CBD more attractive and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. The others are the development of commuter facilities (such as cycle storage and change/shower/locker areas), providing more bike racks, and possibly upgrading lower Brougham Street into a shared street space.