Queenstown Lakes residents will get another chance to weigh in on speed limits around the district later this year when public consultation on a new Speed Management Plan opens.

Late last year Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) announced it was introducing the new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022, which meant the council’s speed bylaw was revoked.

Under the NZTA rule all New Zealand speed limits have been migrated to a National Speed Limit Register and councils must create Speed Management Plans (SMPs).

The draft SMP will be presented to councillors at the August 31 council meeting and consultation will begin shortly after, a council spokesperson told the Wānaka App this week.

“The QLDC Speed Management Plan (SMP) will set out the principles and priorities to ensure safe speeds in our district for the next ten years, as well as implementation of these for the 2024-2027 period,” they said.

The consultation will also give locals the opportunity to share their feedback on existing speed limits, including the controversial 2019 bylaw which reduced all 50km/h urban traffic area speed limits in Queenstown Lakes to 40km/h.

The chance to make submissions on the speed limits is likely to receive significant interest - more than 67 percent of the 350 submitters opposed the blanket 40km/h speed limit, describing it as everything from “sheer lunacy” to “patronising”, “unwarranted” to “ridiculous” and “frustrating”.

The QLDC spokesperson said while the urban 40km/h speed limits are not being formally reviewed “...the public consultation can provide an opportunity for the community to [give] feedback on the extents of those zones, if they feel they are not offering the intended safety benefits”.

The spokesperson said NZTA guidelines and speed model sets out safe and appropriate speeds based on a number of factors, such as how areas are used, current traffic volumes, the One Network Framework.   

“There is some flexibility in that QLDC undertakes a technical review to assess the current situation against the guidelines and make recommendations for what is appropriate for our district and the community can influence the outcomes through the consultation process,” they said.

Following consultation, QLDC’s final draft Speed Management Plan must be submitted to Waka Kotahi by March 29, 2024.

PHOTO: Wānaka App