Councillor's Comment: When we work together, anything is possible

Nelson is a great place to live, learn, work and play. Recent events have taught us how important it is to work together because when we work together, we see that something that appears impossible or out of reach at the start becomes very possible and achievable in the end.

Safety on our local roads is one of your Council’s key priorities and local government has a vital leadership role in this area. The newly established Joint Regional Transport Committee, now with membership from both the Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council, was tasked by the previous Government with putting together a regional Speed Management Plan and that is why we are currently seeking your input on speed limits on local roads (Note: Waka Kotahi/NZTA has the responsibility for state highways). The submission process opened last week and will finish on 29 February next year.

In the consultation document there are a variety of alternatives being put forward on speed limits to cover all our local urban and rural roads in Nelson and Tasman. Under the urban road category, roads are differentiated as those outside schools, school neighbourhood roads, local urban streets and urban connectors.

The case for speed reductions or limits is that there are clear benefits to the community: it makes our streets safer which reduces casualties and injuries; it increases child and adult activity levels which improves health and wellbeing; it provides a safe environment to encourage more people to walk and cycle; it supports our climate change declaration as it lowers emissions and tackles congestion; and finally, it creates a stronger sense of place.

Journey times on roads in urban areas tend to be determined by traffic lights, intersections, crossings, and parked vehicles, rather than the speed limit. Less acceleration and braking smooths traffic flow. Fuel consumption is mainly influenced by the way we drive and driving at a consistent speed is better than stopping and starting.

In Nelson the number of people walking and cycling to work or school is above the national average and increasing. Local people know their local roads. We use them every day. Lower speed limits in residential areas are a way of making our neighbourhoods safer and more liveable. It is important you share your thoughts with us. We all have a responsibility to make our roads safer.