MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times
Speed limits in the Taupō CBD will be reduced to 30 km/h once construction is complete. Photo/File
Speed limits in downtown Taupō will be lowered to 30 km/h in the coming months and a 10 km/h limit will also be introduced along the soon-to-be-completed shared space along the lake.
The speed limit changes are part of a wider program of speed limiting measures being taken by the Taupō District Council after it recently adopted its interim speed management plan.
The aim of the plan is to “keep road users safe” and will see speed limits outside most schools in the district go from 50 km/h to 30 km/h, as well as changes to the limits in Tūrangi and Kinloch town centers .
The plan is part of the municipality’s transport strategy for 2020, which has been drawn up with a focus on reducing speed limits around schools, walking and cycling routes, city centers and high-risk rural roads.
READ MORE:
* ‘Multi-million dollar decisions’ but few voters: Low turnout in the Waikato ‘deeply disturbing’
* Speeding and unbraked student driver in car without a warrant for nearly four years
* Four injured in collision between truck and ute near Taup
As part of the Taupō Town Center Transformation Project, the speed limit in the new Roberts St waterfront area will be reduced to 10 km/h and the speed limit on other roads in the city center will be reduced to 30 km/h.
According to a report, the municipality is creating a pedestrian-friendly area along part of the lake shore.
“This means we are diverting most traffic along Titiraupenga Street and lowering the speed limits on Roberts Street to create a shared space along part of Lake Terrace.
“We are proposing to reduce speeds on the streets that connect to Lake Terrace.
Delivered/Waikato Times
Changes to the speed limit for Taupō include a 10 km/h limit along the lake shore. Photo/delivered.
“The city center is a busy place and more and more people are moving for different purposes. Reducing the speed reduces the chance of someone being seriously injured,” the report said.
The council consulted the public about the changes between March and May this year and received 249 submissions.
While many of the speed limit changes proposed in the 2022 draft speed management plan will continue, others remain unchanged following community feedback.
In particular, according to the council’s report, the council was asked not to lower the speed limits on rural roads as the current speed limits on Poihipi Rd and parts of Broadlands Rd and Mapara Rd remain unchanged.
Delivered
Concept plans for the redevelopment of Lake Terrace and Roberts St in Taupō.
As of December 2021, there were 22 fatal accidents over the past 10 years on local roads (not state roads) controlled by Taupō County Council, leaving 27 dead and 17 others injured.
Two crash “hotspots” were identified in the fatal crash data, being Broadlands Rd (Reporoa to Taupō) and Tirohanga Rd (Atiamuri to Poihipi Rd).
The interim plan outlines a list of “priority one” speed limit changes that were recently approved by the council and will be implemented later this year.
All school zones on local roads will be reduced to 30 km/h, while some schools on busier roads will only be 30 km/h at the beginning and end of the school day, while others will be permanent.
Schools on state highways still require Waka Kotahi to change speed limits.
Other speed changes include Wharewaka’s Nga Roto Estate, where the limits will drop from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, and Tūrangi’s city center (Te Rangitautahanga Rd, Pihanga Rd) from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.
On most rural roads around Acacia Bay, the limits have been lowered from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and the speed limits on the Mapara, Poihipi and Whangamata roads have also been lowered from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
For a full list of the changes, visit www.taupo.govt.nz/speedmanagement.