Safer Speeds 2024-2027

Submissions on safer speeds for the Queenstown Lakes District are now closed. We will provide an update on next steps soon.

People's safety is our number one priority. Like other Territorial Authorities right across the motu, we’ve been working on a Speed Management Plan for the district.

The way speed limits are set throughout Aotearoa New Zealand is changing. Previously speed limits on local roads have been set through bylaws but this became redundant following the introduction of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022.

We revoked the Speed Limit Bylaw 2019 in December 2022. Since then we've been using the new guidance to develop a proposed Speed Management Plan which focuses on establishing a vision and principles for consistent speed management right across the district, rather than looking at speed limit changes on a street-by-street basis.

Read on for more about what's proposed, along with lots of supporting information and resources to help you get informed on why safe and appropriate speeds are so important for improving safety and protecting human lives.

The bigger picture - why are we doing this?

As our district grows, there will be more people walking, cycling, scooting, using public transport and driving on our roads in the future. Our vision is that every person is able to move around in a safe and healthy way, however they choose to travel.

People dying or being seriously injured on our roads is preventable. Implementing safe and appropriate speeds across the district supports a wider vision for an Aotearoa New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads (Vision Zero). The Governments Road to Zero programme set us on a path to achieve this, with an interim target to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 40% by 2030.

If we are to achieve vision zero, we need to create a safe transport system that recognises humans make mistakes and is designed so that these mistakes do not need to cost us our lives.

Get informed on what's proposed

Vision and principles

Underpinning the proposals for safer speeds is a local vision and supporting principles.

Priorities

We have identified three priorities proposed for implementation in the 2024-2027 period.

Consultation document and proposed speed limits

Read the full proposals below:

• Let's Talk about Safer Speeds - Consultation Document
• Appendix 1 - Table of proposed safer speeds
• Appendix 2 - How speed affects travel times

Or if you prefer, take a look around the online speed limit map below. There are two layers to look at:

• Proposed speed limits for implementation during 2024-2027
• Proposed speed limits for implementation from 2027 and beyond.

Other reading

We've provided lots of links and resources on the right hand side of this page.