21 April 2022
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Speeds on Fenton Street
Enquiry
I spoke with the staff at Pineland Motor Lodge on Fenton St, where the pedestrian who was hit and killed by a car on April 12 lived.
Someone there has concerns about the speed vehicles travel on that road and said they themselves have nearly been hit. May I please have response to this? Have concerns like this been raised before? What was the outcome?
If I can please have a response as soon as possible today that would be great.
Subsequent request received from reporter:
police redirected me back here so maybe I'll reword it a wee bit.
The [Pineland] staff member said the speed limit should be lower around the city centre - has this ever been considered and if so what were the details?
Response
Reporter was informed that as enforcement of speed limits is the role of the police, not council, she would need to speak with the police regarding any issues with speeding on Fenton Street.
Information provided in response to the reporter’s subsequent request:
See below information re Fenton St and general info about speed limit reviews. If you need to attribute the info please attribute to a council spokesperson:
- The speed limit along the section of Fenton Street from Sala Street to Malfroy Road was lowered from 60kph to 50kph in 2014 as part of that year’s speed limit reviews, to improve public safety. The speed limit from Malfroy Road to the lakefront was already 50kph.
- Council reviews speed limits in the district approximately every three years and the last reviews were undertaken in 2021.
- Speed limit reviews are generated by Council safety audits in response to vehicle crashes and police crash investigation reports and may also be in response to feedback or requests from the community.
- Any recommended changes are based on assessments of the above, as well as environmental factors, actual speeds and feedback received during community consultation.
For your easy reference, below is the news item from RLC website re speed limit review decisions from 2014 which includes the Fenton St changes referred to above and provides a little detail re who asked for the review etc. The Daily Post also wrote about this in 2014 – see a copy of the article HERE
From RLC website - 17 October 2014:
Speed limits are to be reduced on a number of Rotorua roads to improve public safety.
The new speed limit bylaw amendments were approved at a meeting of Rotorua District Council's Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee on Tuesday (14 October) following a period of public consultation.
The new approved speed limits are:
- Fenton Street - 50kph, reduced from 60kph (from Sala St to Malfroy Rd)
- Tarawera Road - 50kph, from 70kph (from roundabout to just past Lynmore Ave)
- Tarawera Road - 50kph, from 100kph (Blue Lake, from DoC entrance to Okareka Loop Rd)
- Otaramarae Road - 50kph, from 100kph (Maniatutu Rd to 1060m south of Vercoe Pl)
- Wharenui Road - 50kph, from 100kph (from Porikapa Rd)
- Hamurana Road - 80kph, from 100kph (200m west of Kaska Rd to 100m east of Te Waerenga Rd)
The changes all relate to sections of roads where local residents have identified excessive traffic speed as a community safety concern.
Council Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee chair and People Strategy portfolio lead, Councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, said the council had listened to the community's concerns, and roading engineers had investigated a range of options.
Rotorua Police, the Automobile Association and New Zealand Transport Agency had also been consulted as part of the process.
Mrs Raukawa-Tait said she expected particular interest in reducing the current 60kph limit on Fenton Street down to 50kph, something which has been advocated by the Rotorua Association of Motels.
"The reality is that speeds have reduced along Fenton Street since a number of roundabouts were installed as crash reduction measures. So the new 50kph speed limit comes into line with actual existing speed and won't mean much change for most people.
The new speed limits are expected to come into effect by the end of November, once new signage is installed.