Proposed speed limit changes to improve safety across Tauranga
Monday 02 November 2020
Tauranga City Council is seeking to change the speed limits on a number of local roads and near some of the city’s schools and is asking the community for their feedback on the proposed changes.
Director of Transport Brendan Bisley says the reduced speed limits and 40km/h variable speed limits around school environments will improve safety and provide consistency with the speed limits on similar roads in the city.
“As our city has grown, some of the higher speed limits that are in place are no longer appropriate with the higher density of housing, vehicle volumes and the mix of cyclists and pedestrians using the streets.
“Typically, these are locations where the existing speed limit is greater than 50km/h and the growth of our city has made the existing speed limits inappropriate due to urbanisation and changing land use,” Mr Bisley said.
“Reducing the speed limits on these key roads and around the school environments will achieve significant safety benefits for the community.”
The proposed changes are to sections of Ohauiti Road, Welcome Bay Road, Kaitemako Road, Oropi Road, Pyes Pa Road, Parton Road, Tara Road, Domain Road, Maranui Street and Papamoa Beach Road, and Totara Street.
| Local road | What’s proposed |
| Ohauiti Road | Change some of the current 70km/h section to 50km/h by extending the 50km/h speed limit from 75m south of Summerhaven Place to 100m south of Adler Drive. |
| Welcome Bay Road | Change current 60km/h speed limit sections of Welcome Bay Road to 50km/h. |
| Kaitemako Road | Change current 70km/h speed limit to 50km/h from opposite Waipuna Park to 60m south of Tobacco Hill. Change current 100km/h limit to 80km/h from 60m south of Tobacco Hill to 100m north of the Western Bay of Plenty District boundary. |
| Pyes Pa Road | Change current 60km/h speed limit to 50 km/h from Barkes Corner roundabout to 80m south of Kennedy Road. |
| Oropi Road | Change current 80km/h speed limit to 60 km/h between SH29A roundabout and Wood Road. |
| Parton Road | Change current 70km/h section of Parton Road to 50km/h from 200m south of Tara Road roundabout to east of Gordon Spratt Reserve. This will include the roundabout at Tara Road. |
| Tara Road | Change speed limit of Tara Road from 80km/h to 60km/h. |
| Domain Road | Change current 70km/h speed limit at the southern end of Domain Road to 50 km/h. |
| Maranui Street and Papamoa Beach Road | Change all sections of Maranui Street and Papamoa Beach Road that are currently 60km/h to 50km/h. |
| Totara Street | Change existing 60km/h speed limit on Totara Street to 50km/h from Hewletts Road to Rata Street |
The proposed 40km/h variable speed limits mean that the speed limit will reduce to 40km/h for a 30-45-minute period around school opening and closing times, when traffic and pedestrians peak around the school area. They will revert back to the regular speed limit outside of those specified times.
| School | What’s proposed |
| Aquinas College, Pyes Pa | 40km/h variable speed limit on Pyes Pa Road from 200m north of Joyce Road to 35m north of Freeburn Road. |
| Tauranga Intermediate School, Tauranga | 40km/h variable speed limit on Fraser Street from 100m north of Brook Street to Seventeenth Avenue; Eighteenth Avenue from Fraser Street to Grace Road; and Grace Road from Eighteenth Avenue to Kaka Street. |
| Matua Primary School, Matua | 40km/h variable speed limit on Levers Road from 25m south-west of Sylvania Drive to 30m east of Woods Avenue. |
| Golden Sands School, Papamoa | 40km/h variable speed limit on Golden Sands Drive from 200m east of Kapuka Street to 20m south of Wairakei Avenue. |
| Taumata School, The Lakes | 40km/h variable speed limit on Kennedy Road between the western end of Mortlake Heights and Flack Street; Mortlake Heights from 15m west of Audax Lane to Kennedy Road; and Te Ranga Memorial Drive from Kennedy Road to Turnbridge Street. |
Submissions open Monday, 2 November and close 4pm, Friday 27 November 2020.
For more information, maps of the proposed speed limit changes and to make a submission, go to www.tauranga.govt.nz/
The Council expects to do a city-wide speed limit review next year, following legislative changes to the way councils set speed limits. Councils will no longer use bylaws to set speed limits, but must develop a speed management plan that takes a wider view of the roading network, including safety upgrades and engineering solutions.
