Safer speeds in our neighbourhoods
We're making our roads safer in Palmerston North for everyone – whether you’re getting your children to school, driving in our city centre or visiting other busy areas.
Each council was required to review their speed limits as part of the previous government’s plan to improve road safety. So, in Palmerston North, we started by consulting on changes to speed limits around schools. We also consulted our community on speed limit changes in other busy places, such as the city centre and our neighbourhood streets. These plans have been put on hold as we wait for a new speed management ruling by the new government.
We all need to play our part to make Palmerston North a safer city, where kids can confidently walk and bike to school, people feel less vulnerable crossing the street and roads are safe for all users.
Timeframes for changing our speed limits
Consultation for safer speeds around schools commenced on Monday 1 May 2023, with stage 2 taking place in October.
Speed management plan on hold
Following advice from the government, Council’s elected members resolved in December 2023 to adjourn adopting our speed management plan until a later date. The transport minister has indicated a new rule is being created and has encouraged us to consider the new rule before making final decisions. We’ll provide another update when the new rule is released by the government.
Why did we consult on reducing speed limits?
The previous government had a plan to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 40 per cent by 2030.
The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 came into effect on 19 May 2022. It introduced a new way of implementing speed management throughout New Zealand and required councils to reduce speed limits around schools. The mandate was for councils to make most of these changes by June 2024, however, the new government has removed these deadlines and a new rule is being created.