SH30 Awakeri to Whakatāne safety improvements

Project update

19 July 2023

Safer speed limits for SH30, Bay of Plenty

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is committed to Road to Zero, a vision for Aotearoa New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.

Following consultation between January and March 2022, Waka Kotahi has set new permanent speed limits for State Highway 30 Tikitere to Whakatāne in Bay of Plenty.

Safe speeds save lives and when speeds are safe for the road, simple mistakes are less likely to end in tragedy.

From Monday 14 August 2023 the new permanent speed limits will be in place.

Read on for more details.

Safer speeds save lives

When speeds are appropriate for the road, simple mistakes don’t need to end in tragedy.

We want everyone who uses our roads to get home safely. There are a range of things we can do to make the road safer such as putting in signs, safety barriers and rumble strips. But making sure the speed limit is safe and appropriate for the road is still one of the best ways to save lives on New Zealand roads.

This is part of the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s contribution to Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy.

Consultation

Early 2022 we consulted on safer speed limits for State Highway 30 (SH30) between Tikitere and Whakatāne and received over 700 submissions.

Much of the community supports reducing the speed limits through the more built-up areas along SH30 such as the lakeside villages of Rotoiti, Rotoehu and Rotomā, rural settlements of Te Teko and Awakeri and the main road heading into Whakatāne.

We received feedback supporting lower speeds where they hadn’t been proposed or at townships threshold points (ie where the speed changes as you enter/exit). Based on this feedback, lower speed limits will be implemented at Te Puna Whakareia, and thresholds points moved at both Te Teko and Awakeri.

We received submissions where people didn’t support reducing any of the straighter rural road sections, indicating it would increase driver frustration, cause more bad driving behaviour and consequently more crashes.

Ensuring our speed limits are aligned to the safety features and use of the road is a proven and effective way to improve safety, save lives and to prevent debilitating injuries.

Our technical and safety assessments indicated the safe and appropriate speed for a straight section of open road, without a median barrier, should be 80km/h. This assessment looks at the function and use of the state highway, crash risk for all road users, adjacent land use, number of intersections and property accessways, traffic volume, and planned modifications to the highway.

As part of the consultation process, we reviewed all the submissions to see if any noted safety concerns about changing the speed limits along SH30. After reviewing the submissions, and although concerns were raised regarding possible driver frustration to lower speed limits, there is no evidence this results in an increase in death and serious injury crashes.

Decision

Based on the information gathered through consultation and our technical review process, our decision is to proceed with the speed limit changes.

Safe speeds save lives and when speeds are safe for the road, simple mistakes are less likely to end in tragedy.

Starting from Monday 14 August 2023 the new permanent speed limits will be in place.

More information on the permanent speed limits and our consultation summary, including the submissions can be found  at SH30 Tikitere to Whakatāne speed review.

The new speed limits

The following new speed limits will come into effect from Monday 14 August 2023*

Map of new speed limits

*Note: Installation of the new speed signs starts from Monday 14 August 2023. Due to the nearly 80km long corridor, approximately 200 new signs will be installed over 2-3 weeks, weather permitting. The speed limit is effective from the day the sign is in the ground.

More information

Visit our SH30 Tikitere to Whakatāne speed review webpage to find out more.

For more information on the SH30 Awakeri to Whakatāne safety improvements, visit our project website www.nzta.govt.nz/sh30A2W

Or contact us at bopprojects@nzta.govt.nz