Sometimes I wonder if politicians just want to really, really piss us off.
How else could you explain some crazy scheme which we in the south might have to put with about how fast we can drive? Not far from where I live, the Queenstown Lakes Council want to slow Wanaka right down. At the moment the speed limit in town is already just 40kph . Now there are plans to reduce that 30kph or lower.
This is part of the council’s SMP or Speed Management Plan. What’s even worse is that there are about 20 non-urban roads in the area where it’s proposed the speed limit will reduce from 100kph to 60 or even 40. Then there’s another 30 roads where the 100 kph limit will be taken back to 80.
It is just nuts. This part of the world has very good quality roads, which do not have much traffic on them. Fatal or injury accidents are a rarity in this region for those reasons.
This is all being driven, excuse the pun, from Wellington, from the bureaucracy sometimes known as the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Unbelievably on the web pages explaining the rationale behind this Setting of Speed Limits Rule and its mate the National Speed Limit Register is this phrase – “providing a single source of truth on speed limits nationwide.”
How can a public servant possibly use that phrase ever again in New Zealand public discourse? It was a disgrace when Ardern tried to pull it during Covid and it’s a disgrace now.
How can there be a single source of truth on something like speed limits? Here's another line from the website – “the stated objective of the Setting of Speed Limits rule is to contribute to road safety by providing for a whole of network approach where speed management is considered alongside investment in safety infrastructure.”
So basically the government wants us to slow down so that they don’t have to fix the roads so often.
There are places around the country where possibly traffic volumes dictate a slower speed. But not where I live in the Upper Clutha Valley.
There’s an old saying in racing about horses for courses. Wellington bureaucrats should remember that and stick your single source of truth where the sun doesn’t shine.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced.
It is just nuts. This part of the world has very good quality roads, which do not have much traffic on them. Fatal or injury accidents are a rarity in this region for those reasons.
This is all being driven, excuse the pun, from Wellington, from the bureaucracy sometimes known as the New Zealand Transport Agency.
Unbelievably on the web pages explaining the rationale behind this Setting of Speed Limits Rule and its mate the National Speed Limit Register is this phrase – “providing a single source of truth on speed limits nationwide.”
How can a public servant possibly use that phrase ever again in New Zealand public discourse? It was a disgrace when Ardern tried to pull it during Covid and it’s a disgrace now.
How can there be a single source of truth on something like speed limits? Here's another line from the website – “the stated objective of the Setting of Speed Limits rule is to contribute to road safety by providing for a whole of network approach where speed management is considered alongside investment in safety infrastructure.”
So basically the government wants us to slow down so that they don’t have to fix the roads so often.
There are places around the country where possibly traffic volumes dictate a slower speed. But not where I live in the Upper Clutha Valley.
There’s an old saying in racing about horses for courses. Wellington bureaucrats should remember that and stick your single source of truth where the sun doesn’t shine.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
The very simple fact is that in 6 years the road speed limits have been lowered progressively across the country almost every where the NZTA decided it might be a good idea.
Many millions of taxpayer money has gone into road speed TV and Radio advertising and we even got two $5000 'Zero' lighted signs for the ministers to stand beside.
But the road toll itself has not changed one iota. That tells a story of the problem is less in speed and advertising and more in road management, maintenance and engineering.
Thanks Peter, as you have noted.....more lunacy, although we should not be surprised really. Shame on those who enabled this. however for those who voted this destructive govt in you have a chance to redeem yourselves and do the right thing on election day.
Soon the bike lane speed limits will be higher than the road limit. Can you imagine all those smug cyclists.
Ah, I see what they're doing. Turning NZ's cycleway network into the new kiwi autobahns.
And to lure people onto their bikes (well e-bikes, let's be honest) the slogan will be "Go as fast as your legs can carry you"....or maybe, "Leave the polluting past behind".
Whoa, what a horrible dream! Back to reality. Simple truth is most people are just too unfit and lazy to bike everywhere....and then there's the weather...and trying to fit more than two cans of beans on the back of your bike.
Sorry NZTA, as with all woke, useless impractical ideas it'll never work.
I recall vividly and with considerable sadness the Christmas holiday period when the Police had a stated 'zero tolerance' for speeding. (A friend got two 'speeding' tickets on the Auckland motorway on the same day in 100kph zone - one for doing 101kph and the other for doing 102kph). Forcing everyone to drive while mainly watching their speedometers during a busy holiday period resulted in a road toll nearly double that of the previous year. Literally murder, except if the Police do it!
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