Avonside Dr is a major route linking the city centre to the eastern suburbs. Its speed limit between Gloucester St and Wainoni Rd was reduced from 50kmh to 30kmh in March.
While heading along Avonside Dr at the new limit, The Star car was overtaken by a red Toyota, driven by someone who seemed not to care about the city council’s new expectations.
The speed limit on the road was reduced under the council’s Safe Speed Neighbourhoods programme, which aimed to lower speed limits to 30kmh on roads around schools and 30kmh or 40kmh on residential streets.
Whether a road is 30kmh or 40kmh is determined through consultation with the local community.
The entire north Linwood area and parts of Avonside, including Avonside Dr, have been reduced to 30kmh due to Whītau School.
The school on Woodham Rd normally has a 50kmh limit, but this is lowered to 40km/h during school zone times.
But the reduced limits near schools have not been implemented at the same time - or with consistency - on similar roads.
City council transport operations manager Stephen Wright said this was because all planned speed limit changes had been delayed until the Government finalises its Setting of Speed Limits Rule.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has encouraged city councils nationwide to wait for the new rule, which is set to reverse the speed reductions implemented since January 1, 2020 before bringing in any further speed limit changes.
The Star asked Brown if he believes his call has led to inconsistent speed limits in Christchurch and if any confusion caused by this is worth waiting for his new rule.
He did not directly answer, but said "the government is moving quickly to introduce a new rule".
If implemented in its current form, the draft rule would see most reduced residential side streets return to 50kmh, and 30kmh time-variable speed limits at schools would replace the current neighbourhood-wide school zone limits.
He said Lake Terrace Rd was categorised as an urban connector and Avonside Dr is considered a local street closer to a school (Whītau) so it was prioritised for a lowered limit.
Urban connectors are roads that have low interaction between vehicles and adjacent properties, whereas local streets were more commonly used by residents who live there.
Before reaching Avonside Dr, The Star drove down the 30kmh section of Gloucester St from Linwood Ave to Woodham Rd, which has a reduced speed limit like the rest of north Linwood due to the presence of Te Pā o Rākaihautū school on McLean St, a permanent 30kmh zone.
The speed limit on Gloucester St returns to 50km/h between Woodham Rd and Avonside Dr, despite Whītau School being close by, before it reduces to 30km/h on Avonside Dr.
While driving 30kmh limit on Gloucester St, a small queue of cars backed up behind The Star car, clearly expecting us to move faster.
Wright said the 30kmh section of Gloucester St "will be reviewed as a priority" when the Government’s speed rule is published after community feedback showed the speed limits on the road were confusing.
On roads near schools in the eastern and southern suburbs, such as Linwood and Spreydon, 30kmh and 40kmh speed limits have been widely implemented near schools like Te Aratai College on Aldwins Rd, which normally has a 60kmh limit but is cut to 30kmh during school zone times.
The current pause on the city council’s speed reduction rollout means no residential side streets have had speed limits lowered in the northwest of the city.
The disparity in changes across different suburbs can be explained by government funding requirements for city council transport upgrades.
Southern and eastern suburbs such as Spreydon, Waltham, Linwood and Woolston had speed limit reductions prioritised because other transport modifications in these areas were already planned.
This made speed limit reductions for residential side streets in these areas "quick wins", according to a city council report.
More speed limit reductions were planned under the city council’s draft Safer Speed Plan. But it is currently also paused.
The proposal would reduce more residential areas to 30kmh and lower speed limits to 50kmh from 60kmh on main roads such as Blenheim Rd and Moorhouse Ave.
