Higher speed limit not fast enough for some drivers

Part of the Christchurch Southern Motorway now has a 110km/h speed limit, up from 100km/h. But, as reporter Dylan Smits and photographer Geoff Sloan found out, many drivers are going faster

We were cruising down the motorway back towards Christchurch when a black Toyota Landcruiser overtook us in the right lane, travelling about 130km/h.

It was the vehicle we clocked going the fastest, but on our circuit of the motorway from the city to Rolleston and back we saw most were travelling at 120km/h –  10km/h over the new limit.

A 17.7km stretch of the motorway – between the Curletts Rd interchange in Middleton and the Weedons Rd interchange in Rolleston – became the South Island’s first 110km/h state highway last month.

Heading south, some drivers reduced their speed to 110km/h when the limit dropped to 100km/h near Rolleston. Others continued at 120km/h until reaching the 80km/h sign near Hoskyns Rd.

On the return trip, most vehicles accelerated to 120km/h just before or shortly after re-entering the 110km/h zone from Rolleston, then slowed back to 110km/h once the limit dropped to 100km/h.

As vehicles continued into Christchurch, most slowed to about 90km/h after passing the 60km/h sign at the end of the motorway near Barrington St before Brougham St.

After the sign, all motorists eventually slowed to 60km/h over the next 300m of road.

Some motorists eased from 120km/h to 110km/h when merging with traffic from off-ramps or as congestion increased.

Although driving up to 10km/h over the speed limit will not get drivers ticketed by speed cameras, it is still illegal.

But Police road policing manager Inspector Kelly Larsen said police have not encountered any “significant issues” and speeding enforcement measures remained business as usual.

AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said an increase in the speed limit doesn’t mean drivers will increase their speed by the same amount.

“How much people adjust their speed will depend on a number of things like the look-and-feel of the road, what speed vehicles were travelling at before the change and what speed naturally feels right to most people in that environment.”

He said data studies from speed limit changes indicate a 10km/h change in the speed limit will generally see a change of only 3-5km/h in actual driving speeds.

Rolleston resident Nicholas Grimmer, 30, uses the motorway four times a week to travel to work and was excited by the new limit.

“I love it, I’m a big fan. My only worry is that people who are not confident going 110 are sometimes in the right-hand lane, which is typically the quicker lane,” he said.

Prebbleton resident Lucas McGillivray, 21, said the speed limit change had not affected his commute.

“I think the change is a good thing. Traffic can get pretty bad in the morning, but at the same time, is the difference between 100km/h and 110km/h actually going to do that much?”

– Additional reporting by Matias Gidden