Residents have been bewildered and frustrated since significant stretches of road dropped from 50kmh to 40kmh zones last month, but the council says this was done to improve safety, including for areas where there are high numbers of vulnerable road users.
Council regulatory subcommittee chairman Cr Andrew Whiley said information from experts and the public were taken into account before recommendations were made to the council, and he stood by those recommendations.
Lower speed limits would have a minimal effect on travelling times for people living on, and visiting, Otago Peninsula, he said.
A trip from Portobello to Vauxhall should take between three and a-half to four minutes longer, he said.
More than 1500 people have signed a petition against the changes for reasons that range from amazement that the 40kmh zones cover such extensive areas to them being a weird fit with the roading environment after substantial upgrades.
Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope, who started the petition, said the 40kmh zones were too long, poorly designed and potentially dangerous.
Mr Pope said he was worried frustrated motorists would attempt foolish manoeuvres.
He conceded there might be value in 40kmh limits in built-up areas, but not "in areas where there is the odd driveway".
Mr Pope said the new limits begged questions about whether the Peninsula Connection roading improvement project was fit for purpose.
The Otago Daily Times has been told the council’s position may not be the final word, because significant speed assessment work was done before upgrades were carried out, the justification for 40kmh zones applying to long stretches of road appears thin and lacks community support, and calls for a review might yet yield a result.
Mr Pope said the council had not paid sufficient attention to residents.
"People are so cross and angry about this," he said.
Mr Pope said applying graduated speed-limit transitions in some areas — from 40kmh to 50kmh, then 70kmh — could be a pragmatic solution.
Cr Whiley, who is also the councillor appointed to the Otago Peninsula Community Board, said he was conscious of the frustrations of many motorists and residents.
"I have driven out on the peninsula quite a few times recently, spoken with local residents and experienced the changes on the road myself," Cr Whiley said.
Many residents who spoke to the subcommittee had submitted in favour of lower speed limits, he said.
The council has cited crash data to justify changes.
From 2010 to early 2022, there were 210 crashes in Portobello Rd, including 21 crashes in the past two years.
Of those crashes, 26 were considered serious and a further 78 resulted in injuries.
On Otago Peninsula, the transitions from 40kmh to 70kmh are at the same locations where the speed limits used to switch from 50kmh to 70kmh.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency had wanted 40kmh and 60kmh limits, Cr Whiley said.
Waka Kotahi regional relationships director James Caygill said the agency wished to "applaud" the city council for not waiting "for people to die before making the road safe".
"In addition to reducing the chance of people being killed or seriously injured, a safe speed limit makes our roads and roadsides more comfortable for people, including children and older people, to walk, bike, scoot around," Mr Caygill said.
"And let’s not forget people being seriously injured in the past years is a huge concern in this mixed rural/suburban area of Otepoti Dunedin.
"The impact upon travel time is less than the length of my favourite song played on the car radio."
Cr Whiley said the council acknowledged some initial confusion, as some signage was put in the wrong places.
Such errors had been corrected, the council said.
Cr Sophie Barker said she could understand motorists’ frustration, as logic for the changes was not always plain.
Decision-making was sometimes not straightforward and safety was paramount.
