The draft plan includes proposed 40km/h speed limits for sections of the two main townships – Akaroa and Lyttelton – and Cass Bay.
A 40km/h limit in Waipapa Ave, Diamond Harbour, and significantly lower speeds – from 100km/h to 60km/h – along many winding rural roads, have also been proposed.
Christchurch City Council head of transport Richard Osborne said by lowering the speed limits across areas of Banks Peninsula “we can create safer roads for all users”.
“Speed dictates both crash probability and severity," Osborne said.
“The higher a vehicle’s speed, the greater the risk of a crash and the bigger the consequences on impact.
“Whether drivers and passengers can walk away – or are carried away – from a crash largely comes down to how fast their vehicle has been travelling.
“Banks Peninsula has a complex network of winding roads and steep inclines, adding an extra hazard layer for motorists.
“By cutting speed limits, we can make major safety gains, including in Akaroa and Lyttelton, which are attracting more holidaymakers and day-trippers.
“Accident figures show that there are significant benefits from reducing speed limits from 50km/h to 40km/h in townships.”
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency will be seeking input from the community soon on highway speeds from Christchurch to Akaroa – from the intersection of Blenheim Rd and State Highway 73 (at the Curletts Rd overbridge) to the entrance of Akaroa township.
“We need to match the correct speed to the section of road across the whole area,” Osborne said.
“Road network safety remains a major focus for the council and targeted, lower speed limits underpin our commitment to those all-important continuous improvements.”
Among the proposed changes are lower speed limits – from 100km/h to 60km/h – for the Purau to Port Levy route and parts of Pigeon Bay, Puaha Valley, Little River, Okuiti Valley, the Southern Bays and Birdlings Flat.
Give your feedback on the proposed changes here, with the deadline for submissions being Thursday, February 25.
If approved, the speed limit changes are expected to be in place by the middle of this year.
| Area | Current speed | Proposed speed |
| Lyttelton | ||
| Lyttelton Township including Naval Point and Corsair Bay | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Governors Bay Road 60 metres north of Park Terrace | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Cass Bay | ||
| Bayview Place | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Cass Bay Place | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Harbour View Terrace | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Kaikomako Place | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Mariners Cove | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Charteris Bay | ||
| Marine Drive (extension of 50 km/h area) | 60 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Diamond Harbour | ||
| Waipapa Avenue (Marine Drive intersection to Wharf) | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Purau/Port Levy route | ||
| Fernlea Point Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Fields Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Old Port Levy Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Pa Road | 100/50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Pa Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Puari Road | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Purau- Port Levy Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Putiki Road | 100 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Richfield Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Wharf Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Port Levy/Pigeon Bay route, Pigeon Bay | ||
| Double Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Frasers Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Holmes Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Holmes Bay Road (existing 50km/h speed limit section) | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Holmes Bay Valley Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Little Pigeon Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Pigeon Bay Road (existing 50 km/h speed limit section) | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Port Levy-Pigeon Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Starvation Gully Road | 100/50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Wharf Road | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Kukupa | ||
| Kukupa Place | 100 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Middle Road (Lower section at Kukupa) | 100 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Pettigrews Road (Lower section at Kukupa) | 100 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Puaha Valley | ||
| Duddons Track | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Harmans Track | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Pattens Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Puaha Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Whites Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Little River, Western Valley and Okuiti Valley | ||
| Batchelors Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Breitmeyers Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Kinloch Road (Wairewa Pa Road to Okuiti Valley Road) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Lewthwaites Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Montgomerys Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Okuti Valley Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Reserve Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Reynolds Valley Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Usshers Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Wairewa Pa Road (Kinloch Road to SH75 northern intersection) | 100 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Wairewa Pa Road (SH75 southern intersection to Kinloch Road) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Western Valley Road (existing 100 km/h speed limit section) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Southern Bays | ||
| Bossu Road (existing 100 km/h speed limit section) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Burrells Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Gap Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Harrisons Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Island Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Jubilee Road (existing 100 km/h speed limit section) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Kinloch Road (Okuiti Valley Road to Bossu Road) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Lands End Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Maginness Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Magnet Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Peraki Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Reids Hill Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Robin Hood Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Te Oka Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Wrights Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Akaroa | ||
| Akaroa Township | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Flea Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Lighthouse Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Stony Bay Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Birdlings Flat and Kaitorete Spit | ||
| Bayleys Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Beach Street | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Clifton Street | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Forest View Road | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Jones Road | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
| Lake Terrace Road | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Poranui Beach Road (existing 50 km/h speed limit section) | 50 km/h | 40 km/h |
| Poranui Beach Road (SH75- existing speed limit change point) | 100 km/h | 60 km/h |
