The people of Normanby spoke, and the Dunedin City Council listened.
After learning of proposals in the speed limits bylaw review to increase the speed limit on North Rd, Norwood St, Clava St and Nisbet St from 50kmh to 80kmh, residents wrote six submissions, including a 1200-signature petition, against them.
The subcommittee charged with making speed-limit review recommendations to the council heard from many of the residents at a hearing last week, and, following a site visit, decided on Tuesday to scrap the proposals.
Crs Andrew Noone, Bill Acklin and Neil Collins believed the roads' width, visibility and steepness, among other things, would not support a limit of 80kmh.
"No matter what the speed limit is, you could not do more than 20kmh [in some places]," Cr Acklin said.
Other proposals which were removed from the bylaw included increasing the speed limit on Dalziel Rd to 80kmh, and increasing the speed limit on Highcliff Rd to 70kmh.
However, parts of the meeting proved more "frustrating".
The review process attracted submissions on roads which were not actually included in the original review, including Gordon Rd and Riccarton Rd, in Mosgiel, and Coast Rd, through Warrington and Seacliff.
The subcommittee agreed with submitters' concerns about safety and wanted to reduce speed limits to address the issue.
However, council senior traffic engineer Bruce Conaghan said because the roads were not originally raised for review, they were not consulted on and any changes needed approval from the New Zealand Police and New Zealand Transport Agency.
If the subcommittee tried to push them through council without consultation, NZTA could simply veto the changes.
"That's the frustrating part, to know some bureaucrat in Wellington can just put a line through it," Cr Collins said.
It was decided Mr Conaghan would discuss the subcommittee's recommended changes to Gordon Rd, reducing the speed limit to 80kmh, and Coast Rd, reducing the speed limit to 70kmh, and 50kmh through Warrington and Seacliff, with NZTA to see if the changes could be brought under this review process.
Other roads which were submitted on, but not consulted on during the review process, will be included in the next bylaw review.
The amended speed limit bylaw will go to council on October 4.
