Dozens of reversed road speed reductions across the district which were rescinded by the Coalition Government, have extra protection against their re-introduction: new bureaucratic fish hooks.
If South Wairarapa, Carterton or any other territorial authority now wants to alter/cut speed levels on its roads, there are new impediments in place.
These are a mandatory six week consultation process (up from the previous four weeks) and a specific “business case” for each speed reduction now proposed.
By business case, the new rules require each planned speed change to have a cost-benefit analysis done.
These new requirements for any traffic slow-down a council seeks to make override the previously required four weeks of public consultation.
South Wairarapa and Carterton have a shared roading programme, and both have held speed reduction public consultations.
Carterton’s council has now agreed to write to Transport Minister Chris Bishop in a last-ditch bid for central government approval to implement the proposed widespread speed restrictions on which four-week consultations have already been completed.
Speed reductions outside schools and marae are the only exemptions to the new regulatory regime.
Prior to the government changing the rules, the stretch of Puruatanga Road where last month’s fatal car vs bicycle crash occurred was on a list of speed reductions _ from 100 kph to 80 kph.
