Russell-Kororāreka Speed Management Plan
We are asking for feedback on our Speed Management Plan, which proposes to lower the speed around all schools, marae, downtown, and in both urban and rural areas within the Russell-Kororāreka catchment area.
This catchment includes the communities of Russell, Ōkiato, Rāwhiti, Waikare, and Kāretu.
We want to set speed limits that better acknowledge the local conditions and surrounding environment.
Changing the speed limits will make our roads and communities safer for everyone, whether travelling by car, bicycle, or on foot.
Specific street names and proposed changes are listed in the attached Statement of Proposal.
Why are we doing this?
We have received numerous community requests to investigate speed limit changes in the Russell-Kororāreka catchment area. In the past five years, there have been 34 crashes resulting in injuries, with 10 of those leading to death or serious injury. This, combined with a significant increase in walkers and cyclists using these routes, highlights the need for safer speed limits.
Regardless of the cause of a crash, higher speeds significantly increase the risk of injury or death. Lowering speed limits can make a substantial difference in reducing the severity of crashes, particularly for vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians.
How can I have a say?
Share your feedback on the proposal here.
While we prefer you to give your feedback online, you can also download our print-friendly submission form here and send it to us:
- Click here to drop your pin on a map and leave comments on the proposed speed limits.
- Take our brief survey and let us know about your travel experiences in the area and provide feedback on the proposed changes.
- Visit our public drop-in session on Thursday 12 September 4 pm to 6 pm at the Russell RSA on Chapel St.
- By email: submissions@fndc.govt.nz
- In person: Drop off the submission form at any FNDC service centre or library (you can ask our friendly customer service team to print the form for you.)
- By mail: Far North District Council, Private Bag 752, Kaikohe 0440, ATTN: Submissions.
Alternatively, you can request to share your feedback verbally by emailing us at submissions@fndc.govt.nz.
We must receive your feedback by 5pm Monday 30 September 2024
Note: Anyone is invited to submit feedback on this consultation, whether as an individual or on behalf of an organisation. However, any submissions that are out of scope, offensive, inappropriate, or late may not be accepted by the council. You will be notified if your decision is not accepted and, where appropriate, invited to resubmit.
Any submissions that are made on the Russell-Kororāreka Speed Management Plan become part of the public consultation process. The collection and use of personal information by the Far North District Council is regulated by the Privacy Act 2020. Please note that your submission or a summary of your submission will be treated as public information and may be published on the council's website and made available to elected members and members of the public as part of the consultation process. Your name and contact details (address, phone number, email) will only be used for administrative purposes - such as the council contacting you to update you on the outcome of this consultation and letting you know about future consultations
We are proposing to lower speed limits in the Russell-Kororāreka area based on road risk profiles and community feedback.
In urban areas and downtown Russell-Kororāreka, including Tapeka, Long Beach, and surrounding residential areas, speed limits are proposed to be reduced to 30km/h to create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists. Kent Street and The Strand are proposed to be 10km/h.
Our approach to setting speed limits around schools focuses on children’s journeys to and from school, taking an area-wide approach that uses a mix of 30km/h and 60km/h limits. The draft Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 emphasies reducing the speed limit at the school gate only, and we are seeking feedback on the preferred approach.
These roads have been prioritised due to the vulnerability of children as road users. Safer speeds will encourage more children and families to walk, cycle, or scooter to school safely.
Speed limit changes are also proposed near seven marae: Kaingahoa (Rāwhiti), Kāretu, Kororāreka, Ngaoitonga, Te Rāwhiti (Omakiwi), Waikare (Te Tūruki), and Waihāhā. The proposed speed limits, ranging from 10 km/h to 80 km/h, are tailored to the risk profiles of the adjacent roads.
For rural roads, most speed limits are proposed to be 60km/h, with some set at 80km/h depending on road conditions. Certain rural residential roads are also proposed to have a 30km/h speed limit, based on specific risk profiles. For the routes from Russell-Kororāreka to Ōkiato and Rāwhiti, we are seeking feedback on two speed limit options: 60km/h or 80km/h. Currently, these roads typically see an average driving speed of 65km/h (Ōkiato) or 55km/h (Rāwhiti).
We are also focusing on speeds around the three schools in the Russell-Kororāreka catchment - Russell School (Bay of Islands), Kāretu School and Te Kura o Waikare.
We define roads outside schools as ones with frontage to the school or roads which provide access to the school.
Schools have been split into two categories based on the surrounding environment.
Category 1 – 30km/hr
Russell School
Category 1 schools require a permanent or variable speed limit of 30km/h on the roads outside the school.
Category 2 – 60km/hr
Kāretu School
Te Kura o Waikare
Category 2 roads where the Road Controlling Authority deems 60km/h permanent or variable speed or less is a safe and appropriate speed for the roads outside the school.
The recently released draft of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 may impact some of our proposed speed limit changes. However, these are not blanket speed restrictions; they are a response to extensive community feedback that has been building over many years. To see if a specific road will be affected by the draft Land Transport Rule, please refer to the statement of proposal here.
With work on speed limits still eligible to receive government funding, we have requested funding to implement these changes. We are consulting on these changes now, so should funding be secured, we are ready to implement changes quickly.
Local and international research shows that if a person is hit by a vehicle travelling at 30km/h, their chance of survival is 90%, compared to 68% at 40km/h. The chances of survival continue to decrease the faster a vehicle is going. This emphasises the importance of adopting speed limits to ensure the well-being of all road users, especially in places where people walk or ride their bike. Lower speeds also allow for shorter sight and braking distances which is important in complex, busy situations such as school pick-up and drop-off times.
- Russell to Ōkiato (one minute increase)
- Waikare Road - SH to Russell-Whakapara (1.5 minute increase)
- Russell to Rāwhiti (1.75 minute increase)
- Consultation opens Monday 2 of September at 9am
- Drop-in session held on Thursday 12 September 4pm to 6pm at the Russell RSA
- Consultation closes Monday 30 September at 5pm
- Council deliberations on public feedback, date TBC
- Revised Speed Management Plan adopted by Far North District Council, date TBC
- Speed Management Plan certified by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
Draft Speed Management for Russell-Kororāreka
New Zealand Transport Agency Speed Management Guide https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/speed-management-guide-road-to-zero-edition/
Interactive maps – click here
Provide your feedback and complete the online submission form here
Statement of proposal
If you have any questions, or would like a little more information about the proposed speed limit, please contact: submissions@fndc.govt.nz