More than 3200 submissions and 10,000 social media comments have been received by the NZ Transport Agency on plans for a 110km/h speed limit on two expressways in Cambridge and Tauranga.
The two roads where the increased speed limit is planned are the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road (State Highway 2) and the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway (SH1), Stuff reports.
If approved, the new limit could apply by the end of this year, the agency says.
Consultation closed on October 26, and the NZTA says the response far exceeded expectations.
“It’s a very high level of public interest, which is great,” NZTA safety and environment director Harry Wilson says.
“We didn’t quite anticipate that level of support … We really appreciate the feedback that people are giving us.”
Some submissions were from people living near the roads in question, and others came from national bodies such as freight companies and the AA.
Responses included those worried about whether the higher speed limit would increase safety risks.
These two roads are made to handle those speeds, Wilson says – “The corners, the shape of the road, the median barriers, the fact that they have grade separations – no intersections, no driveways.”
But Wilson says drivers still need to select a speed to suit conditions, such as bad weather.
Other suitable roads could be added during the next year.
