Recently Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced that the “Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024” would come into force on October 30, 2024.
This will mean that speed limit reductions on local streets, arterial roads and state highways put in place since January 1, 2020 (by the previous government) will need to be reversed by July 1, 2025 and restored to the speed limit that was in place on December 31, 2019.
WHAT LEVEL OF CHANGE ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?
Firstly, it’s worth noting how New Zealand’s roads are managed and administered. Essentially, each individual council authority is responsible for the roads within its territorial boundaries and sitting outside of the territorial authorities you have NZTA, responsible for state highways and any connecting roads between authority territories.
This administrative set-up is why NationalMap roads data is so valuable, because it takes an aggregated, national view of our road network.
By our calculations then, at a national level there has been speed reductions applied on approximately 8-9% of our total road network since January 2020.
This is obviously a significant change and one you’ve probably experienced yourself no matter where in the country you live. The table below includes 2 road network dimensions for greater insight about the volume of speed limit decreases since January 2020. The 2 dimensions are, the “KM of Roads” and the number of roads or “Road Count”, we’ve included these 2 dimensions to provide a fuller picture of the scale of change.
NEW ZEALAND ROAD CONTROLLING AUTHORITY (RCA) ROAD COUNTS & TOTAL ROAD LENGTHS
For example you can see that 20% of the NUMBER of roads under the management of the NZTA have had speed limit decreases since January 2020. However, this equates to only 7% of the TOTAL KM of roads under the management of the NZTA.
Similarly, if you look at Queenstown Lakes District, what these 2 measures tell us is that the vast majority of speed limit decreases occurred in urban areas where there are lots of discrete roads with shorter lengths than are usually found in less built up areas.
What the Road Count dimension in the above table also provides is an approximation of how many road signs have been changed (and will need to be changed again). Important to note that this is indicative only, as there a number of other variables involved. But on the assumption that each discrete road that has had a speed limit decrease also requires an updated road sign to that effect, it would seem clear that the volume of new roads signs required is in the 10’s of 1,000’s nationally.
The below visualisations highlight where these speed limit changes have occurred around our main centres (as well as the significant change evident in urban Queenstown) since January 2020, and where the majority of new road signs will likely be required.
WELLINGTON REGION
GREATER AUCKLAND
CHRISTCHURCH
QUEENSTOWN
WHO IS MOST IMPACTED BY THESE SPEED LIMIT CHANGES?
Now, almost none of us want to be fined for speeding, or to drive dangerously, we just want to be able to choose the optimal route for our situation (whether that’s focused on journey time or fuel/battery efficiency). In short, most of us just want to be good road citizens and speed limits are a key input into good decision making for every journey.
As an individual, we all know that information is power and when it comes to road use, it’s key to arriving safely, on time and via the optimal route. So, if planning the annual holiday road trip to the grand parents or cousins gives you anxiety, spare a thought for the fleet operators and transport operators that keep the country moving. Every day is the annual holiday road trip with 100 times the vehicles and people they care about driving them.
Fleet and transport operators already face huge challenges and the impact of all this change to speed limits will be felt most keenly by this critical industry. But why are frequent, large-scale changes to speed limits so problematic for transport and fleet operators?
THERE ARE 3 CORE CONSIDERATIONS AROUND SPEED LIMIT CHANGE FOR TRANSPORT OPERATORS:
- Operational Efficiency: For businesses relying on transportation fleets, up-to-date speed limit data is essential for optimising routes and schedules. Changes in speed limits can significantly impact travel times and overall operational costs. Accurate data ensures that fleet managers can make informed decisions that enhance efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.
- Compliance & Safety: Adhering to current speed limits is not only a legal requirement but also a critical aspect of ensuring road safety. Regular updates to speed limit data help businesses avoid penalties associated with speeding violations. With accurate and up-to-date data powering their routing, navigation and monitoring systems, a culture of safety can be fostered within organisations, reducing the risk of accidents.
- Cost Management: Speed limits directly influence fuel/battery efficiency; with higher speeds often leading to increased fuel/battery consumption. By utilising up-to-date speed limit information, businesses can better manage fuel/energy costs.
In summary, they are really just the same concerns we all face as road users, only for transport operators they are writ large and compounded by scale.
This effect of scale is also why enhanced data layer features like NationalMap’s “routing speed” is so important for transport operators, because it enhances real-world route planning for optimal efficiency and is the actual speed, in KM/H, that could be expected for travel on a road link (irrespective of speed limit). It’s a calculated field and considers speed limit, surface type, hierarchy, bendiness as well as access restrictions.
When you’re managing 100’s of vehicles and drivers every day, this real world insight creates value quickly.
Change is of course inevitable though, and as successive governments navigate the balance between safety and economic efficiency, it is more crucial than ever for transportation fleets and businesses to have up-to-date road speed limit data to optimise their operations safely and effectively.
If your business operates within the transportation sector, NationalMap data can help improve your operations, get in touch today to learn more.