At deliberations last Thursday, a Dunedin City Council hearings committee recommended the speed limit on Taieri Mouth Rd, south of Brighton, be reduced from 100kmh to 80kmh.
Committee members — Crs Mandy Mayhem (chairwoman), Mickey Treadwell and Andrew Simms — heard from about ten submitters at Thursday’s meeting before they made their decision.
Cr Simms said he believed greater weight should be given to the submissions of those who lived on road, particularly residents of small settlement Kuri Bush.
A joint submission by about 30 Kuri Bush residents supported reducing the speed limit through the settlement, citing concerns about speed, sight lines and safe access to their properties.
However, a report to the hearing said of the three options consulted on, 133 of the 238 submissions (56%) backed the status quo, 78 (33%) supported a reduction to 80kmh along the whole road and 27 (11%) backed a reduction to 80kmh along the road’s southern portion.
Those opposed to speed limit reduction generally considered the road safe to drive at 100kmh and some commuters were concerned reduced speed would delay their journey.
Cr Simms noted a benefit disclosure statement estimated reducing the speed limit along the whole road would increase travel times between Taieri Mouth and Dunedin by about 54 seconds.
‘‘I think also [commuters] have that advantage of knowing the road and I suspect that most of them will continue to drive at the same speed anyway,’’ Cr Simms said.
‘‘So the inconvenience for them I don’t think overrides the safety of people who are less familiar with the road.’’
The road is part of the Southern Scenic Route and the hearing report said the average operating speed along the road was 88-92kmh.
Cr Simms said a full-length speed limit reduction carried the lowest risk for the council and community — ‘‘including the sea lion community’’.
Kuri Bush resident John Burnip, who spoke in favour of the joint submission, said he was ‘‘delighted’’ by the committee’s recommendation and hoped it would be ratified by the full council.
Taieri Mouth resident Alexandra Tickle spoke in favour of the status quo and said while she accepted the committee’s recommendation, she was concerned lower limits would encourage unwise passing by some drivers, increasing the risk of crashes.
The council consulted on similar changes in 2023, but work stopped after the government changed the process for setting speed limits.
The final decision sits with the full council, which will consider the committee’s recommendation.
