Ōpunake Road speed limit to reduce to 80km/h

At a Policy and Services Committee Meeting in April, elected members voted in favour of reducing the speed limit on Ōpunake Road to 80km/h. This speed will be enforceable from the intersection of Elizabeth Grove to the Stratford District boundary, and will be effective from 1 June 2022.

The speed limit review came after a report by Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency which sought to identify the top 10% highest risk roads that are located within each local authority boundary across New Zealand. This work was part of the Government’s Road to Zero Strategy, which aims to reduce the road toll in New Zealand by 40% before 2030.

Waka Kotahi identified Ōpunake Road as a high-risk road within the Stratford District and the statistics match their findings, with 57 crashes occurring within the last 5 years, some of these being fatal.

Community consultation was carried out in August 2021 and Council received 64 submissions on the topic. Feedback was split, with approximately half of the submissions interested in seeing the speed limit reduced, and a number of responses seeking road safety improvements instead of a speed limit change.

Alongside this approved speed reduction, Council has received funding of $1.275 million towards safety improvements for Ōpunake Road. This funding will be able to go towards improving a number of areas identified within the feedback Council has received, and in combination with a reduced speed, will allow for a much safer road for all.

This funding is available through Waka Kotahi’s “Road to Zero” strategy and will be spent within the current Long Term Plan period, ending 2024. Following 2024, Waka Kotahi have approved a further $1.15 million for Ōpunake Road safety improvements.

You can view the report to council on page 57 of the April Policy and Services Committee Agenda here, and the minutes from the meeting on page 21 of the May Ordinary Meeting here.