Speed Management Plan consultation

We're asking for your feedback on Upper Hutt’s draft Speed Management Plan which proposes to reduce speeds on certain roads in Upper Hutt.

We're proposing speed limit changes around schools in order to align with new legislation and reduce risks from potential impacts to vulnerable road users. We’re also reducing speed limits in some of our urban and rural areas to safer and more appropriate speeds.

Why we’re doing it

• The New Zealand Government has launched the Road to Zero (R2Z) strategy 2020 – 2030, which targets a 40% reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
• The addition of the Setting of Speed Limits 2022 to the Land Transport Rule states that 40% of schools must comply with the new, reduced speed limits by 30 June 2024, and the remainder by 31 December 2027.
• Upper Hutt City Council and Waka Kotahi have a shared responsibility to bring about safe and appropriate speed reduction measures to facilitate lower impact speed, especially to vulnerable road users around schools.

How it could impact you

• To achieve these changes, we've developed a Speed Management Plan which proposes reducing the speed limit around all 19 schools in Upper Hutt to 30 km/h.
• We've also reviewed a number of road segments in urban and rural areas and are proposing changes to some of these.
• Lower speed limits would be introduced within the next 18 months.

Your feedback

While we don’t have the ability to change the 30 km/h mandate around schools, we would like your feedback on the extent of those changes, along with the other aspects of the plan which include proposed speed limit reductions on other roads.

Wait!... Haven't we already done this?

Sort of. Earlier this year we asked for feedback on proposed speed limit changes around a subset of schools and Alexander and Moonshine Hill roads as part of an Interim Speed Management Plan. Council agreed to make changes to the limits around the two roads but the feedback we received regarding the schools was used to inform this draft Speed Management Plan.