Proposed Safer Speed Area – Mears Road area (St Andrews)

Closed 4 Jun 2023

Opened 23 May 2023

Contact

Have your say and share your voice using our online feedback form.

For specific queries on this proposal contact City Transportation Unit

roads@hcc.govt.nz

Feedback updated 10 Nov 2023

We asked

As part of our ongoing focus to make our streets safer for everyone, we proposed changing the speed limit from 50kph to 40kph on all residential streets within the Mears Road area (in St Andrews).

We asked if the public had any road safety concerns relating to this area to ensure that any changes made would help to address these.

You said

We received 19 responses on the proposal, with 57.90% (11 of 19 respondents) expressing their support.

Feedback from residents supporting the proposal noted:

  • there is a lot of speeding around Mears Road and Cecil Street currently
  • the proposed 40km/h speed limit will make it safer to cycle in the area 
  • there is a desire for traffic calming infrastructure improvements to achieve lower speeds for vehicles.

Feedback from residents not supportive of the proposal noted:

  • a change of speed limit to 40km/h is a waste of funds and will make no difference
  • speeding issues are due to street racers who occasionally speed up the road

vehicles would continue to overspeed unless speed limits are enforced by NZ Police. 

We did

Your feedback was presented to Council’s Traffic, Speed Limits and Road Closures Hearings panel on 8 August 2023, with the panel approving the change of speed limit on Mears Road from 50kph to 40kph.

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

As part of our ongoing focus to make our streets safer for everyone, we’re proposing to change the speed limit from 50kph to 40kph on all residential streets within the Mears Road area (in St Andrews). This area is indicated on the map above.

We would like to understand if there are any road safety concerns that you have related to this area to ensure that any changes made will help to address these.

A copy of the Hamilton Speed Management Plan can be viewed at the bottom of this page under the heading Related.

To support this work, we will also be looking to lower the speed limit from 50kph to 30kph and install a raised zebra crossing outside the Sandwich Road shops. We will reach out to nearby businesses and residents about the proposed changes on Sandwich Road at a later date.

Why your views matter

As per the Hamilton Speed Management Plan, a key element of speed management is community input. Hamilton City Council recognised when developing the Hamilton Speed Management Plan that it was crucial to consult with the community to understand their views, and that going forward, engagement with the community in advance of any proposed speed management change needs to be maintained.

What happens next?

This information will be presented to Council’s Traffic, Speed Limits and Road Closures Hearings panel on 8 August 2023.