Speed Limit Plans Anger Farmers

By PALMER, Rebecca

FARMERS are fighting plans to lower the open road speed limit to 90kmh in some areas, saying the Government should instead be investing more money in fixing roads.

Land Transport New Zealand is planning to cut the speed limit from 100kmh on about 40 dangerous stretches of rural roads.

Several roads in the Wellington region are expected to be the first in the country to have the lower speed limit, which could be in place by the end of the year. LTNZ has yet to finalise which roads will be affected and is working with councils. Police are supporting the initiatives.

Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen said it was cynical for the Government to target rural motorists when it had been using only half the money generated by petrol taxes and road-user charges for roading. “The Government has stolen that money and spent it on other things . . . it’s a national disgrace.”

If the Government had a “genuine interest” in seeing the road toll come down, it would spend more money on better roads, he said.

Rural people were taxed more than any other sector of the community for roading, because they contributed to the costs of rural roads through rates. However, some rural roads were “pretty damn awful”, Mr Pedersen said. “As rural drivers it looks like we’re going to receive the worst services and pay the biggest price.”

Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven announced last December plans for the lower speed limits. Factors such as road surface, gradient and width and traffic volumes are considered when setting limits.

LTNZ spokeswoman Janice Rodenburg said several roads in the Wellington region were being considered for the 90kmh limit. She would not identify which ones because LTNZ was still working with councils.

Wellington was likely to be the first region to get the lower limit because talks with councils had progressed sufficiently, she said. Plans to increase the speed limit to 110kmh on wider, longer roads were shelved when Transit engineers found none of New Zealand’s roads were suitable.

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