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Yes, so let's rip into it. Hang on a minute, I've just got to turn a page on the notes, because there we go. Okay, the government has proposed speed limit changes. You might have heard the news a few days ago about christ Church and two major stretches of road, but more recently in Auckland. The roads impacted would be the christ Church Southern Motorway and State Highway one north of Auckland, both proposed to move from one hundred k an hour to one hundred and ten kilometers an hour.
To discuss that, Transport Minister Simeon Brown joins me. Now, Simeon, good afternoon. Good afternoon, So firstly, with these decisions to up the speed limit, do you base these decisions on research evidence or just a hunch.
It's based on the design standard that the road was built to. These roads are built to a safe standard of being able to drive at one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, and so we are going through the process to have those speed limits applied, to have it increased one hundred and ten kilimeters per so people can travel quickly and safely, reduce their travel times and get where they want to go along. There's major pieces of infrastructure which have been built to that standard.
Do you actually have to sort of consult with anyone in particular or you just say, look, talk to the people who design the roads and say, what was this designed for?
Well, that's a really good question. I mean, under the current speed limit rule, there has to be a public consultation, and so that is what's happening. The public will be consultant on whether they want to have that speed limit increased under the new proposed speed limit rule, which we've just finished or we're just in the process of completing.
When it comes to roads that are built to one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, that will allow the Director of Land Transport to just simply apply that speed limit when the road opens, rather than to have to go through this process of consulting, which is what's happening at the stage.
Are there many other roads on your horizon for speed limit change.
Well, all of the roads of national significance which are built under the last National government, which were built to one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, where going through the process at the stage to have their speed limits increased to one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. So the Company Expressway is another where they've just finished consultation and hopefully a decision on that will be made shortly.
As you mentioned earlier, the christ Church Southern Motorway and then the Pooho were to walk with Motorway, and of course a couple of years ago the White Color Expressway had its speed limit increased one hundred and ten. So the government wants to have every road which is built to that standard to be able to operate at that standard to help reduce travel times, help people get where they want to go quickly and safely.
Just a quick, quick one. Are these roads still at the standard for which they were designed or do we then need to do some work on them.
Some of them need some minor improvements made to them. For example, the design standard requires there to be a medium barrier in side barriers, and so for some of them there's well, they all have median barriers. Some of them have small part portions of the road which don't have side barriers, so there may need to be some minor improvements done on putting those side barriers in place. Prior to that change happening. Those would just be some
small changes. It will happen prior to that spglement being applied.
Because people are pretty passionate about speed limit changes. What are road safety advocates say about this and what sort of voice do they get in this discussion.
Well, ultimately, these roads are built to a safe standard of one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. So there's a design standard which looks at what are the risks at traveling at one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. Those risks have been mitigated through the design of the road, which includes the width of the lanes, medium barriers, side barriers,
other design standards in terms of the surface as well. Ultimately, if the roads built to that standard, the government's viewers, we should be able to operate them at that standard to help reduce travel times so people get where they want to go quickly and safely.
How much what's the process from here once they change it? You've got to change roads, signage and all that. Is there any significant cost assesssaid with that? And what's the time sort of scale for these things?
Well, well, other than just updating the signage, there's some side barreas which need to be built. There will take a number of or a small portion of time to get that done and in the Director of Land Transport Edenstay then needs to sign it off. And so the time frame under the current process is I said, we're changing that process so that these roads can actually have that speed limit applied from when they're open, not going not a couple of years later, for example for per
Hoider Walkworth. But under the current process, it will take about six months following the consultation for that new speed limit to be applied.
So that that's what the new time will be. Is that what you just said, No.
That's what that's what it will be under the current speed limit rule. Okay, what we wanted, what the government wants to do is where a road is built to one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, such as the per Hoider Walkworth Motorway, we want it to be able to open at one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. There's a lot of people traveling on that road right now wondering why it's not operating at one hundred and ten. Well,
because there's a very convoluted rule in place. We have to go through a public consultation, the Director has to sign it off Ultimately it's built to that standard, it should be to operate from that standard from the day it opens.
How long is that going to take to change that process?
Well, we've just finished finished public consultation on that rule change. That's the rule which also includes reversing all of the blanket speed limit changes the last government put in place. We're hoping to finalize that by the end of this month and then get that in place so that is well underway.
What happens Where are we at with the suburban street changes. Of course, we know in Auckland we've been that sort of blanket speed limit reductions down to thirty When are those going to pop back up?
So that's all part of the rule change that we are hoping to finalize the end of this month, by the end of September. That includes reversing all the thirties back to fifties, all of the arterial roads back to sixty, and also some of those state highways which had their speed limit dropped to eighty, such as the State Highway two between Caton and Featherstone, and reversing that back to
one hundred. So that rule will be will be put in place by the end of this month, and then it will take a number of months for those signs to be then updated and those speed limits be reverted.
Do you have to when you do pop these speed limits back up from thirty to fifty? Do you have to a company that with any sort of safety campaign as well? For those who might have just got this false sense of security.
Well, ultimately, if you travel down a lot of these roads which have gone from fifty to thirty, you know, for example Weymouth Road and Manjudewa, it's very hard to see anyone they're actually traveling at thirty kilometers per hour. A lot of these speed limits are reduced by a blanket changes, and actually people aren't following those rules, and so what we're actually the message we're sending is actually
the wrong one at the moment. So by reversing it back to a reasonable speed limit, we'll be making sure
that we can then focus on compliance. This government is investing significantly into road safety, particularly focusing those high risk behaviors such as drugged driving and drug driving, where over fifty percent of fatalities are caused by people drug or drunk, and so you really need to focus on the significant causes of destin serious injuries on our roads rather than just simply slowing down law abiding citizens.
Have you got any particular fines in your sights for different offenses? Were noticed that the fines have gone up for parking disabled spots one hundred and fifty to seven hundred and fifty dollars. Are there particular punishment punishments? I can't think of the right word for it. Sanctions that you're looking at revising.
Well, we have in the government policy Statment on Transport said that we as a government will be reviewing fines and penalties for things like drug drive and drunk driving, including using your cell phone and speeding offenses. We are out of line with most countries, particularly with Australia when it comes to those offenses. Our government wants to focus on enforcement to be those high risk behaviors. But it's something we will be reviewing at some point over the
next twelve months and then looking at what those should be. Ultimately, any decision we need to go through go through cabinet.
Just quickly. It's New Zealand first Private Members Bill to get rid of Eukland Transport. Maybe a slightly more nuanced question, have you got some sympathy with that idea and are there any plans for reform of that organization.
Well, we share the view that there needs to be reform of Auckland Transport. Fundamentally, the organization hasn't been reflecting what Aucklanders want, what Aucklanders need. They've been too focused on Actually, I think increasing congestion in Auckland with things like speed bumps in lane bus stops slowing people down, and that's frustrating Aucklander is so change must happen. I'm working with the Mayor, Wayne Brown on what that change
will be. What we're looking at, what roles and responsibilities should be in different parts of whether it's Auckland Transport setting the Regional Land Transport Plan, in a range of other things. Because ultimately we want to have more democratic accountability for transport decisions and Auckland. That's the outcome we want now and that's the that's the outcome we're going to be doing something.
Well, I guess just to dig into that, just one more question, perhaps because Wayne Brown's tweet is his support of that bill, I understand, is there any chance you guys might actually pick up that New Zealand First bill and run with it or you will you come up with someone yourself, your own sort of thing and consultation and.
Well, ultimately any decisions we make as the government will go through go through the Cabinet, which include New Zealand First and Act, and it will look at all of the elements which are included in terms of you know, what roles and responsibilities should Auckland Transport have. How do we have more democratic accountability of decision making. But it's not just about shifting responsibilities from one part of Auckland
Council to another part. It's actually making sure that we have more democratic accountability so that the decisions being made around Transport and Auckland are actually aligned with what Auckland does think. That's the focus that I've got and it's working very closely with the Mere to make sure that is what we achieve.
Excellent. Just on international matters, did you manage to watch the rugby at all?
Or unfortunately not?
Oh no, well okay we at least you know the result. Okay, I appreciate your time, same in Thanks very much, thank you, Bye bye. That's Simeon Brown, Minister of Transport.
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