However, a large number of the 192 submitters on the Invercargill City Council’s proposed speed limit review strongly supported the reduction.
Many said it was time for the council to return the roads to people, not cars.
The council undertook a one-month consultation about its road and traffic bylaw which proposes to drop the speed limit to 40kmh in urban areas and 60kmh in rural areas.
In the city centre and suburban shopping streets, such as Windsor and South City suburbs, the limit would drop to 30kmh.
About 60% of submissions were opposed to reduction of limits on urban roads and 51% supported a reduction in rural areas.
Invercargill resident Paul Hurley said reducing speed limits would reduce the threat for non-motorised road users.
"Car drivers have had it all their way for decades. It’s time for the other road users to have a go."
Resident Geoffrey Clark said reducing the speed limit was unnecessary and would have a minimal impact on the number of crashes.
"Simply because in most of the crashes that are caused by excess of speed, the drivers don’t take any notice of the speed limit . . .
"It is possible that lowering the speed limit would contribute to more crashes because people get frustrated and try to overtake and take risks."
He believed the key measure to reducing accidents was identifying and prosecuting the offending drivers, which include road safety cameras in high risk areas.
While there was some division about the speed limit in rural and urban zones, most residents agreed it was necessary to lower speed limits outside schools.
About 80% of the submissions supported a drop in school areas.
Windsor North School principal Debbie Dickson said he would like the council to set 30kmh limits around her school all day on weekdays.
She said it would stop driver confusion and ensure people formed a new habit driving around her school.
She also pleaded with the council to create safe crossing zones for pupils across the Windsor suburb as there were many schools in the area .
"There are a number of near-misses every day — even this morning. It is a real problem area."
The council would debate the proposal on April 5 and if successful the bylaw would be adopted by May 24.
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Comments
Since 40% or fewer supported a reduction of limits on urban roads and 51% supported a reduction in rural areas, the number, on average, does NOT constitute a majority...
How does a response rate of about 0.3% of the Invercargill population actually represent everyone's views anyway? It's possible that many of them came from one or more cycling organisations too.
This rate makes it completely invalid, statisticly.
Here's an idea - lower the limit AND prosecute offending drivers. Win-win
Most Australian states have variable speeds around schools - 40kph for 1.5 hours in the morning and afternoon when kids are arriving and leaving. 50kph the rest of the time. Some schools have illuminated signs that show the current speed limit. All doable in New Zealand if councils and government want to make some real effort.
All day 30kph limits is just laziness by authorities.
In a world we're told increasing carbon emissions are killing the planet yet we make policy that flies in the face of that. Slowing down speeds increases emissions.....
It's as hypocritical as banning plastic bags / straws (anything that makes your life easier) but then putting 15 million single use syringes into landfills.