Waikato District Council news: Speed limit proposals aim to make streets safer for walkers and cyclists
Making the streets in Raglan safer is the main driver behind the latest round of Waikato District Council’s proposed speed limit amendments.
You can have your say by going to these links:
Speed Limit Consultations
Cliff Street On Way Consultation
This is the third year of a three-year plan to assess and consult on our district’s speed limits and the main areas of focus are Raglan, the Newcastle Ward (Whatawhata and Te Kowhai) and Tuakau.
There are also other stretches of roads in the district being considered that haven’t been captured in previous years.
We are following the same tact as last year regarding our urban residential areas – and that is the proposal of reducing speed limits from 50kmh to 40kmh.
If a driver reduces his or her speed from 50kmh to 40kmh, the likelihood of a pedestrian or cyclist fatality as a result of an accident reduces from 85% to 30%.
This is sobering information for all our communities but is particularly relevant when you look at Raglan and our proposal to reduce urban speed limits from 50kmh to 40kmh.
Raglan has a lot of people cycling and walking in town, especially during summer when the population explodes thanks to visitors heading there to enjoy what this special place has to offer.
Raglan has only one main road (SH23) and two minor roads (metal) entering the greater township and a whole-of-town approach is being proposed to support the extensive walking cycling community.
Additional walking and cycleways are also planned for this financial year and 2020/21 and the proposal from 50kmh to 40kmh will support these community facilities and help to encourage even more walking and cycling in town.
A 30km/h speed zone is also proposed for Raglan’s CBD along the length of Bow St similar to what has been successfully operating in Hamilton’s CBD.
This reduction in speed would reduce death and serious harm risk from 70-80% to less than 10%.
Submissions are open now, until 17 November, on the 2019 Proposed Amendments to the Speed Limit Bylaw 2011.
All the information required to make a submission can be found on Council’s website at www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/sayit
There’s an interactive map there that has all the roads, including rural roads, proposed for a speed limit reduction this year.