"We’re quite pleased they’re re-looking at it," AA Otago chairman Malcolm Budd said.
"Speed is one factor in the road toll. There needs to be a focus on the way we teach people to drive, enforcement [of road rules] and driving to conditions."
Some roads should be "engineered up" to make them better to drive on, Mr Budd said.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced this week speed-limit reductions would be focused on the most dangerous 1% of state highways.
Mr Budd said the new approach seemed sensible.
Lower speed limits — part of a programme to reduce the impact of crashes and make the roading environment more forgiving when drivers made mistakes — were a key plank in the Government’s Road to Zero plan.
A spokesman for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the policy change related to one aspect of Road to Zero — speed management on state highways.
Waka Kotahi would review the speed-management plan, "to ensure that the highest-risk state highways are prioritised, alongside targeted changes to speeds around schools, marae and in townships which state highways transit".
"The Government's Road to Zero programme also includes significant investments in safety infrastructure, police enforcement, vehicle safety and education."
Mr Hipkins also announced efforts to improve public transportwould be focused on New Zealand’s five main centres, not including Dunedin.
The Dunedin City Council did not expect the announcements to change the council’s plans, a spokesman said.
"We are also developing a zero-carbon plan for the city, which will include identifying the changes required within the transport sector needed to achieve our zero-carbon goals, and that work will continue."
