Safer streets or unsafer streets?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, June 16th, 2024 - 18 comments
Categories: Culture wars, health and safety, national, Politics, same old national, simeon brown, transport - Tags:

Simeon Brown has reached deep into his bag of culture war topics and come up with an unusual one, we need to increase speed around schools and make safety worse because we need to balance kids safety with convenience and saving fractions of time in getting somewhere quicker.

From the Beehive Website:

The Coalition Government will reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions by 1 July 2025 through a new Land Transport Rule released for public consultation today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. 

The draft speed limit rule will deliver on the National-ACT coalition commitment to reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit reductions. It will ensure that when speed limits are set, economic impacts – including travel times – and the views of road users and local communities are taken into account, alongside safety.

“The previous government’s untargeted approach slowed Kiwis and the economy down, rather than targeting high crash areas of the network,” Mr Brown says.

“Our draft speed limit rule will require speed limits that have been reduced since 1 January 2020 to be reversed on local streets, arterial roads, and state highways. It will also require variable speed limits outside schools during pick up and drop off times to keep young New Zealanders safe.

“Local streets outside a school will be required to have a 30km/h variable speed limit during school travel times. Rural roads that are outside schools will be required to have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less.”

The policy change was part of National’s election policy and featured in the National-Act Coalition agreement.

It completely ignores the wealth of information that suggests that the previous policy particularly relating to schools was important.

For instance the Waka Kotahi website states:

Setting safe speed limits around all schools improves actual and perceived safety to encourage and enable more active travel to and from school which is important for healthy communities. It also reduces the risk to tamariki and whānau of being killed or seriously injured while travelling to or from school.

And Auckland Transport’s website says this:

We know that where safe and appropriate speed limits have been implemented injuries and deaths have reduced. Data from the first phase of speed limit changes in June 2020, showed a 30 percent reduction in deaths and a 21 percent reduction in serious injuries. In comparison, across all Auckland roads for the time period (24 months), road deaths increased by 9 percent.

Setting safe and appropriate speeds is an effective tool to save lives and prevent debilitating injuries. It could also save the life of someone you know and care about.

If we don’t set safe speeds and current rates of road harm continue, over the next five years one in two Aucklanders will be personally connected to someone seriously injured or killed on our roads.

If you want to understand the brutal reality of what happens on Auckland’s roads then how about this?

  • Children under the age of 15 do not drive or make many of their travel choices but make up 6% of all deaths and serious injuries.
  • Young adults (15 to 29) make up 21% of Auckland’s population and 37% of all deaths and serious injuries.
  • Walking makes up 1.2% of distance and 10% of hours travelled but 12% to 36% of deaths and serious injuries.
  • Cycling makes up 0.6% of distance and 1.2% of hours travelled but 15% of deaths and serious injuries.

And if you want to realise how bad the country’s road safety record is then check this graph out.

Road fatalities per 100,000 population 2018 International Transport Forum’s Road Safety Annual Report 2020 – OECD countries

Brown’s announcement also completely ignores the usual expectation that Local Government should make these decisions on behalf of their communities.

Why is Brown doing this? You can’t help but wonder that one of the reasons for the policy, persuading kids to walk or cycle to school, is an anathema to him and he prefers that they be driven. Because that will be one of the consequences of this change in the policy.

The policy will no doubt increase the rate of deaths and serious injuries outside of schools and reduce kids walking and cycling between home and school.

I am struggling to see what the up side is.

18 comments on “Safer streets or unsafer streets? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Stephen D 1
    16 June 2024 at 10:04 am

    The upside is only for the National Party. By doing the roading lobby’s bidding, they are ensuring their funding will continue.

  2. Graeme 2
    16 June 2024 at 10:58 am

    This is bizarre double speak by National.

    The current variable speed limit past a school is 40kmh.

    This sign will be displayed at the start of the school zone. If the 40 is visible and the yellow lights are flashing, the maximum speed is 40km/h until the zone ends

    So National is actually reducing the speed limit past schools by 10kmh, but saying they are increasing speeds.

    Bullshitting fukas, and everyone is falling for it

  3. SPC 3
    16 June 2024 at 11:31 am

    The local street here has just had, not one but two, speed bumps put in … it would be like an episode of Sex in the City if they got any speed up – where Charlotte says "but I went to Smith" (Desi says … not a school for bottom feeders).

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_College

  4. benby 4
    16 June 2024 at 12:39 pm

    Donations from the fossil fuel, car, and road construction industries are wholly unrelated to this.

  5. Visubversa 5
    16 June 2024 at 12:43 pm

    The NACTs are appealing to a demographic of people who have grown up with a lot of emotional investment in what, where and how they drive. A big part of their self esteem revolves around their vehicles and their ability to use them.

    They are used to driving where and when they want, and parking where they want. They drove for recreation – the "Sunday Drive" with their family.

    They bitterly resent the fact that it is not 1979 and that all those "other people" are now in their way. To add to their resentment is the insecurity that they are approaching the age range where their only slightly older friends are being told by their health providers that they might want to start making arrangements for when they will no longer be able to keep their driver's licenses.

    This insecurity manifests itself in anger against anything that they see as restricting their freedom, whether it be road cones, pot holes, speed bumps, speed reductions, cycle lanes or parking restrictions.

  6. Macro 6
    16 June 2024 at 1:30 pm

    Govt by the People Idiots for the People Idiots.

  7. tWig 7
    16 June 2024 at 2:24 pm

    No upside for us, but trucking firms will have their speed limits lifted. I presumed they are the pushers for speed increases when I first heard it.

  8. Ad 8
    16 June 2024 at 3:19 pm

    For Auckland Transport the evidence is already very clear: lower speeds save lives and decrease the scale of personal injury. 2 out of 3 car injuries were to people not in the car.

    https://at.govt.nz/media/1990901/aukland-transport-report-24-month-safe-speeds-tranche-1-monitoring.pdf

    The number of road workers we report who have been killed from speeding cars smashing into roadwork sites in NZ is utterly chilling, and smashes families up and down this country.

    I'm hoping the Boards of all our high risk Crown Entities like Transpower, NZTA and Kiwirail sit this fucking idiotic Minister down and tell them bluntly what it feels like to be a PCBU who has to front up to a judge in Court and be actually legally liable for their workers.

    This whole attitude makes me just sick with anger, because I've lived through what it does.

    • Macro 8.1
      16 June 2024 at 4:29 pm

      Exactly Ad. I'm just totally overwhelmed at the ignorance and stupidity of this "minister". But why can't his mates drive their flash new utes as fast as they want?? Totally safe!

      • Mike the Lefty 8.1.1
        16 June 2024 at 8:20 pm

        What else could you expect from a minister who is pictured just about everytime with some kind of sports car, grinning like a four year old who has just taken over a candy store?

        The man is an immature little petrol head.

        It is downright scary that we have d….s like him in such powerful positions.

        The Minister of Ford Rangers.

  9. Res Publica 9
    17 June 2024 at 2:51 pm
    Good to see the coalition is delivering on their election promise to protect local democracy from overreach by central government.
    Between this, the compulsory Māori ward referenda, the fast-track legislation, and leaving council's carrying the can on 3 waters, NACT has done irreparable damage to the local government sector.
    Maybe their plan is to burn it to the ground in order to "save" it from all those nasty leftists who keep doing insane commie things like funding public transport and not wanting children to be bowled over outside schools.
  10. Powerman 10
    17 June 2024 at 4:58 pm

    It's interesting to read that following the lowering of speed limits in Wales there has been a 20% drop in insurance claims. And I claim the inalienable right to drive on whichever side of the road I wish–there are too many woke PC rules in the country.

  11. PsyclingLeft.Always 11
    17 June 2024 at 7:27 pm

    David Slack..who I like to read, and respect his views

    Getting around on a bike should not be a life and death gamble, and it does not need to be.

    All it takes is some money and some room.
    That makes it sounds so simple, and here’s why:
    because it really is that straightforward.

    https://can.org.nz/Biking-should-not-be-a%20life-or-death-gamble

    And this next….just WHY cant we ?

    1. 20-minute neighbourhoods

    2. School street closures

    3. Scale it up

    https://theconversation.com/encouraging-walking-and-cycling-isnt-hard-here-are-three-tried-and-tested-methods-147490

    Ok so obviously.. and sadly, not under the current NActFirst govt. 20 minute neighbourhoods!? School street closures!? Its the UN/World Govt/Commies/Jacinda…(you know…a mass conspiracy ! : )

    But a Future, Safer, Sustainable NZ? Yes, I really would like this to happen..

  12. tsmithfield 12
    18 June 2024 at 10:37 am

    There is always a balance between practicality and risk. The question is where to draw the line. Otherwise, the logical way to completely stop car accidents (if that is the goal) would be to stop cars moving at all. Or, we could go back to the days of someone walking in front of a car with a red flag.

    The key thing is that speed limits should be set at a level that motorists respect. For example, speed limits on our one way systems through Christchurch drop down to 30ks. But my experience is that very few actually comply with that limit, unless it is forced on them by traffic congestion.

  13. randal mcmurphy 13
    18 June 2024 at 10:49 am

    This government is taking advantage of the unicameral parliament to ram through nutbar provisions to slake the thirst of idiotes who will brook no interference to their rights to do as they please.

    [Please stick to your approved user name, thanks – Incognito]

  14. Vivie 14
    18 June 2024 at 1:03 pm

    Simeon Brown's plan to increase speed limits is simply appealing to people's immature resentment at being expected to drive at safer speeds, for the safety of themselves and other road users. David Seymour contradicts research and evidence, predictably uses the term "nanny state", and tries to make victims of rule breakers, as if they can't be responsible for their actions.

    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-reverse-blanket-speed-limit-reductions

    “The previous government’s untargeted approach slowed Kiwis and the economy down, rather than targeting high crash areas of the network,” Mr Brown says.

    “Our draft speed limit rule will require speed limits that have been reduced since 1 January 2020 to be reversed on local streets, arterial roads, and state highways. It will also require variable speed limits outside schools during pick up and drop off times to keep young New Zealanders safe…..".

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that scattergun restrictions based on nanny state ideology, not evidence, are depressing. Blanket restrictions forced on communities from Wellington didn’t just make it harder for people to get where they wanted quickly and safely, they drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense…. “Worse still, people ignore rules that don’t make sense and once the habit forms, they ignore rules that do make sense. Sensible lawmaking is important for respecting the rule of law,” Mr Seymour says."

    Brown and Seymour are evidently opposed to the Labour Government's policies on principle, rather than for any logical reason.

    The article in this link explains the safety benefits of reduced speeds, as implemented by the Labour Government.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/511768/road-to-zero-expert-says-speed-limit-changes-will-drive-up-deaths

    "An international road safety expert says the Government must keep applying targets to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries – and that reversing speed limit reductions will drive the road toll up.

    It comes as officials are working on a new safety policy after the Road to Zero was scrapped.

    Eric Howard is convinced the road toll will climb if speed limit reductions stop, and if lower limits are reversed across the country.

    Howard was manager of road safety for VicRoads in Australia when the state reduced deaths by 20 percent. He's since provided advice on safety in over 30 countries – and has done so for Auckland Transport.

    "Anybody who's prepared to put an hour's work into reading some of the literature and the research evidence, and practical evidence in case studies in this part of the world – would say why are we doing that, that's going to put the level of deaths and serious injuries up, unequivocally".

    This article reveals Brown is repeatedly stating a false catchphrase about the Labour government's supposed "blanket" speed reductions:

    https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/06/14/expert-not-sold-on-proposed-speed-limit-rule-changes/

    By Emma Hatton 14/06/2024

    The Government has promised to reverse “blanket” speed limit reductions with Transport Minister Simeon Brown releasing the new Land Transport Rule for consultation.

    The new rule proposes that a cost benefit analysis be required for speed limit changes. The analysis must include safety factors, travel time and implementation costs.

    But ViaStrada principal transportation engineer and transportation planner Dr Glen Koorey said such an analysis would likely show lower speed limits were the way to go.

    “In the rural case it quite strongly came through that the travel time losses were far outweighed by the safety benefits.

    “There were also other things as well such as you reduce your vehicle operating costs, so actually lower speeds are a benefit in those scenarios so they might find that they still get lots of them coming through.”

    For this reason, a number of roads that had their speed limits reduced might stay that way, he said…..

    Simeon Brown said the new rule would deliver on the National-Act coalition commitment to “reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit reductions”.

    “The previous government’s untargeted approach slowed Kiwis and the economy down, rather than targeting high-crash areas of the network,” Brown said.

    Koorey said the idea the previous rule had allowed blanket reductions did not make sense.

    “They keep talking about these blanket speed limit changes, but they never were, they were targeted, and if anything, we’re going back to the days of every urban street is a 50 kilometre per hour zone and every rural road is 100 kilometres and that’s regardless of the nature of the road".

    The following article shows that speed reductions have minimal impact on travel time, but increase road users' safety and fuel efficiency.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/129998714/lower-speeds-add-minutes-save-lives-and-carbon–expert

    "Lower speeds add minutes, save lives and carbon – expert

    Olivia Wannan

    September 29, 2022, • 04:25pm

    With speed limits of 100kph on open stretches, the holiday highway between Christchurch and Akaroa took an average of 72 minutes. Now speeds have been reduced to 80 – and even 60 on the windy hills – how much longer is the journey?

    Four to six minutes, says transport expert Paul Durdin. That’s what the modelling found, and what he has personally experienced on the drive.

    “The public were up in arms because they perceived the change would be far more significant than it was.”…..

    The extra minutes mean drivers are far less likely to be in a serious or deadly crash. At 80kph, their vehicle is near peak efficiency, Durdin said, meaning the new speed reduces the fuel consumed – saving emissions and reducing petrol bills….".

    ….Durdin said at least 76,000 km – or 80% of the country’s 95,000km – of road have an inappropriate speed for the road type….

    There are twin safety benefits to lower speeds. When something goes wrong, the at-fault driver and others on the road have more time to take evasive action, Durdin said. If that isn’t successful, the force of the colliding vehicles will also be lower.

    In addition, most vehicles are at peak efficiency between 70 and 80kph, Durdin added. “Fuel efficiency significantly improves, compared to travelling at 100 or faster.”..