Speed Management Plan review 2023

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

Overview

Hamilton City Council is seeking feedback on a proposal to make changes to the Hamilton Speed Management Plan to plan for the 2024-34 Long Term Plan and comply with recent legislative changes including new national 'certification' process.

Why are we doing this?

Council regularly reviews and refreshes their Hamilton Speed Management Plan so it reflects current information, community views and is compliant with any new requirements when they come into place.

The plan takes a holistic approach, so decisions about safety-related infrastructure improvements, speed limit changes and safety camera placements are made together. The plan also sets the programme of work to deliver to align with the Council’s Long-Term Plan, and regional and national funding opportunities.

While we reviewed the plan in 2022, it was an interim plan to cover two years of Council’s 2021-31 Long-Term Plan, and included any new data and information available at the time.

This review is a more robust refresh of the 2022 edition to reflect:

an updated list of sites proposed for speed limit changes, mainly between 2024-27
changes made to the transport network since the last review reflecting both new roads and new speed limits
information needed for co-investment funding from Waka Kotahi (National Land Transport Programme)
alignment with the Waikato Regional Council (2024-27 Regional Land Transport Plan), currently in development
requirements of the Speed Limits Rule 2022
the finalised guidance in Waka Kotahi’s Speed Management Guide – Road to Zero
Council’s transport strategy, Access Hamilton – Ara Kootuitui Kirikiriroa.

The next review will be scheduled for three years' time (2026).

Hamilton's step in the right direction

Council has adopted Vision Zero as the philosophy for road safety in the city, an aspiration to achieve zero road deaths and serious injuries within Hamilton. The relationship between speed and road accidents is well-established internationally, and managing speed is one pillar of the safe transport system approach.

We want everyone who calls Hamilton home, or visits our city, to be safe when using our roads.

That means we need the right speeds on our roads for all, whether you are walking to the shops, biking to school, driving to work or making deliveries. All our road users are affected by vehicle speeds.

The Speed Management Plan is about achieving safe and appropriate speeds that reflect road functions, design, safety, and use.

Although we have made good progress in speed management around the city, we continue to have deaths and serious injuries occur on roads so there is more work to be done.

The plan is the guiding document that sets out what work needs to be done by who, where, how, and finally an indication of funding to implement this work. There is a focus on the next three financial years to inform Waikato Regional Council’s Regional Land Transport Programme and Hamilton City Council’s 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.

The plan's principles and priorities which guide our approach and application of speed management and remain unchanged.

The draft Speed Management Plan can be viewed under heading 'Related' at the bottom of this page.

Why your views matter

Proposal

Council is proposing minor changes to the current 2022 Hamilton Speed Management Plan to ensure it provides the direction needed to inform forward planning for 2024-27.

The plan covers all roads (excluding state highways) in Hamilton City Council’s district. Waka Kotahi controls the setting of speed limits on state highways.

The changes to the plan include:

an updated priority list of sites to look at becoming safer speed areas (permanent 40km/h)

**Safer Speed Areas**
Area	Priority List
Hyde Avenue	1
Bader Street	2
Weka Street	3
Argyle Street	4
Crawshaw Drive	5
Pohutukawa Drive	6
Primrose Street	7
Aurora Terrace	8
Ashurst Avenue	9
Edinburgh Road	10

progressively implementing 30km/h speed limits around schools, shopping areas and Marae over the next three years
incorporating speed limit reviews as part of other safety improvement projects to align with the plan’s principals
alignment with current best practice, the city’s long-term philosophies, plans, policies and strategies including:

- Council’s commitment to Vision Zero
- Access Hamilton - Ara Kootuitui Kirikiriroa
- Our Climate Future - Te Pae Tawhiti o Kirikiriroa
- Waka Kotahi’s Hamilton-Waikato Metro Area mode-shift plan.

We are seeking feedback on the review of the plan from anyone who may be affected by, or has an interest in how we manage speeds in our city.

After reviewing all roads within the Hamilton boundary we have mapped a speed management vision for Hamilton, please see the attached map This is in alignment with the approved guiding speed management principals and priorities and tools (MegaMaps) provided by Waka Kotahi.

The scope of the review excludes implementing any speed limit changes.

If our speed management plans shows a need for a speed limit change, a formal process will be followed where we consult with stakeholders and the community before asking Council to decide on whether to approve a change a speed limit. Changes to speed limits are then entered into the National Speed Limits Register for final approval by Waka Kotahi before becoming legally enforcable.

Options

The following options have been identified with the advantages and disadvantages of each option in the table below.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Option one: Make minor changes to the current plan (preferred)
• Updates based on recent and proposed changes to legislation would ensure that the plan reflects current best practice and legal requirements, for example Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits. • Data insights and advancements are used to guide the update of maps. • The plan reflects recent changes to the long-term vision of speed-limits for the city and the growth it is currently experiencing. • Changes to increase clarity in the bylaw will improve ease of interpretation and effective administration.	• Nil.
Option two: Do not refresh the plan, keep curent version
• Nil.	• Council and the public would need to rely on the plan as it is currently written and interpreted for the public. • The maps would not reflect current data insights, will be outdated and not support the growth Hamilton is experiencing. • The plan will not reflect recent changes to legislation or accommodate changes that are outlined in the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits. • The plan would not reflect recent changes to the long-term vision of speed-limits for the city. • While the current pan is certified by Waka Kotahi it does not include a programme of work for the full 2024- 27 period. This would limit our ability to make speed limit changes and access vital funding until a refresh/update was completed.

Tell us your thoughts on the proposal

Before making any final decisions, we'd like to have your input. You can give us feedback from Wednesday 7 June until Wednesday 5 July 2023.

Next steps

Council will collect and analyse all feedback at the close of the submission period. The analysis of this feedback will be presented to the Traffic, Speed Limit and Road Closure Hearings Panel on 8 August 2023. At this meeting, submitters who want to speak to their written submission will be able to do so. Councill will then consider all the fiews and make a decision.

Closed 5 Jul 2023

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