Councils' speeding bungle

Parliament had little choice but to close the legal loophole whereby up to 25 councils may have forgotten to set speed limits on their roads.

The blunder led the Government on Tuesday night to rush through a law change to validate the speed limits and any infringement notices issued since 2004.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the retrospective law change was required for public safety.

But the likelihood of tens of thousands of invalid speeding tickets could have cost millions in refunds and hundreds of thousands in administrative expenses.

Local government was given responsibility for setting speed limits through bylaws on all roads except those with a 100kmh limit.

This includes roads outside schools and roads through towns and near towns.

The problem was the councils had to review their speed limits every five years or they would expire.

Kapiti District Council officials realised their council had overlooked the matter and thought other councils could well be in the same position.

Government was approached, and Mr Bridges said its top legal experts looked at options before deciding retrospective legislation was the only way to fix the issue.

Retrospective law has obvious dangers and easily creates unfairness. It has to be applied on only the most limited occasions and with care.

This was one of those rare instances when it was justified, and the Labour Party, while expressing some disquiet, agreed.

The law, under urgency, went through all its stages within two hours and with the support of all parties.

Opposition MPs should, indeed, not always oppose at every opportunity.

They more often than at present should support the Government when it gets it right.

Similarly, the Government needs more frequently to be prepared to recognise when opposition politicians have good points, responding appropriately.

Importantly, the voting public needs to give politicians more credit when they agree and more leeway to change their minds, especially when circumstances change.

The speeding loophole had to be shut immediately or many supposed speed limits would be meaningless.

Speeding motorists also should not automatically get off fines and penalties just because of a council error.

The council speed limits were for good reasons, often with community consultation.

What might be called technicalities - albeit major errors - should not get in the way.

What is particularly disconcerting, however, is the failure of councils to get something as basic as this correct.

Although they might claim the matter is complex and difficult, the requirement to review speed limits after five years does not seem extraordinary or difficult to understand.

If councils cannot get this right, ratepayers have every right to wonder what else is wrong.

It does not say much for the abilities of council in the legal sphere.

While, officially, ''up to 25'' councils had failed to review their speed limits, there might be more.

And there are only 67 district or city councils in New Zealand.

There have also been issues over the years with parking bylaws.

Of course, Government agencies bungle in legal areas as well.

Nearly two years ago Parliament had to change the Police Act because of an error over the way police officers were sworn in.

Unless the urgent amendment was passed defendants could have challenged their arrests.

 

And another thing

Central Government, no matter the shortage of money for new hospitals or strengthened courthouses, seems also to have a way with wasting money.

Eight weeks ago came news the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment spent $67,339.21 on a new head office sign as well as other egregious extravagance.

Then, this week, it was revealed Internal Affairs had spent nearly $3.2 million and four years on a project to shift three important New Zealand historical documents 200m down the road - without yet coming to any decisions on how it was to be done.

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