Invercargill City Council is addressing safety on our roads as part of the Road to Zero Road Safety Strategy, which aims to help create an Aotearoa New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes.

Council is committed to helping achieve this goal of improving safety outcomes on roads, and is continuing this work with the Invercargill District Speed Review and Roading and Traffic Bylaw Consultation, which relates to setting appropriate speed limits within our city.

Invercargill City Councillor Lesley Soper said speed was an issue that was being addressed nationwide.

“We’re happy to be able to consult with the community and get started on making the roads safer in the city and in the country,” she said.

“Roads shape a city, how people and things move around, and how communities interact and connect. They are vital, but safety is even more important.”

Council Manager Strategic Asset Planning Russell Pearson said Council was addressing four issues in this consultation, all relating to speed.

“The first is to look at creating speed limit principles that would be used by Council to guide its decisions in the future,” Mr Pearson said.

Another issue would centre on reducing speed limits in the city centre or other community areas with a high concentration of pedestrians and cyclists, which would see the speed on some central streets reduced to 30km/h, he said.

A big issue is school zones, Mr Pearson said.

“School kids are at a greater risk of accidents, and we know reducing speed can improve those safety outcomes,” he said.

Council is proposing to introduce variable speed limits on local roads outside schools during school drop-off and pick-up times, ranging from 30km/h to 60km/h.

The speed on rural roads, both sealed and unsealed, was also being reviewed.

The results of the speed review will be used to make changes to the Roading and Traffic Bylaw, Mr Pearson said.

Council would be hosting engagement hui around the Invercargill District in the coming weeks, and the community is encouraged to keep an eye on Facebook and the Council website for details.

For details on the four issues that make up the Invercargill District Speed Review consultation, and details on how to make your submission, visit icc.govt.nz/speedreview or pop in to Council’s civic administration building at 101 Esk St, the Bluff Service Centre or the Invercargill Public Library. Submissions close on Monday, March 7.