The trucking and transport industry is slamming Auckland’s speed limit bylaw and says it’s a “poor substitute for road infrastructure investment”.
The Road Transport Forum and the National Road Carriers Association have both come out swinging at the Speed Limits Bylaw approved by the board of Auckland Transport.
The bylaw will lower speed limits across 700 kilometres of the city’s rural roads, town centre streets and the central business district.
Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett says the changes (all part of AT’s $700 million road safety programme through to 2028) are “costly and confusing”.
Leggett says the RTF supports road safety interventions “where all options are well considered” but the speed reduction changes will only add to confusion and costs.
“We believe Auckland Transport is using reduced speed limits as a proxy for lack of investment in road infrastructure, because all their money is tied up with rail projects – extending the city rail and the controversial light-rail to the airport.
“Very little, if any, consideration has been given to the commercial road user, that is trades people and road freight, and the economic impact these reduced speeds will have, especially on major arterials into and out of the central business district (CBD) and connections to major freight generators, both intra-city and inter-city.
“Those impacts are time and money. If it takes longer, it costs more. And those additional costs filter down to the household budget being stretched even further, at a time when there is very little give. What happens in Auckland affects the whole of New Zealand, Leggett says.
National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken agrees and says the speed reduction changes in the city will have “far reaching national consequences”.
“Road Controlling Authorities and central Government seem determined to reduce speeds as a substitute for road infrastructure investment,” Aitken says.
“When you build decent roads, safety is improved. Germany has no speed limit on their autobahns and has one of the best safety records.”
“Imposing speed limits needs to be based on research and evidence instead of ideology. We believe this approach has not been taken by AT in the introduction of its Speed Limits Bylaw.”
Aitken says the “blanket approach” to speed reduction in the city “will waste enforcement resources and frustrate road users that could lead to more risk taking”.
“It seems little consideration has been given to commercial road users including freight and the economic impact these reduced speeds may have especially on major arterials into and out of the CBD and connections to major freight generators both intra and inter-city.
“Productivity will naturally be slowed down at these lower speeds. Reduced speeds on some roads will likely shift traffic onto alternate routes creating further congestion in these areas,” he says
Aitken says lower speed limits may also mean trucking companies have to reduce movements as the additional time taken per trip will mean drivers won’t be able to do as many trips during their legal driving hours.
“Slowing down roads slows down our economy,” he says.
‘Too much, too fast’
Automobile Association spokesman Barney Irvine says AT has not listened to public concerns about the speed reductions.
“AA Members and all Aucklanders support the idea of reduced speeds on high-risk roads, but the big-bang, blanket reductions that AT is proposing are too much, too fast.”
AT’s consultation on its original proposal revealed that, of 6000 respondents that expressed a general view, 57% were opposed, while 43% were supportive.
In a survey of Auckland AA Members late last year, 62% of the 14,000 respondents opposed the idea of a blanket 30km/h speed zone in the CBD, while only 16% supported it (the rest were in two minds). A separate survey of AA Members in rural Auckland found that 46% were opposed to the speed limit changes AT had proposed in their area, while 32% were in favour (21% were in two minds).
“The theme that comes through really clearly is that people don’t think the changes make sense,” Irvine says.
“If people don’t see a speed limit as credible, they are unlikely to stick to it; and where compliance is low, you don’t get the safety benefits – all you get is higher numbers of infringements. That all adds up to a really poor road safety outcome.”
