The original rule from 2022, which was later amended, was modelled to deliver a 14% reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The change did not mean blanket speed limit reductions, but if a road controlling authority (mainly councils) did decide to change limits, they would need to comply with the rule, which would mean the new speed limit would most likely be lower than the existing one.
Brown campaigned on getting rid of these changes and got his wish. The 2023 coalition agreement between National and Act said the Government would “reverse speed limit reductions where it is safe to do so”.
The regulatory impact statement did look at safety impacts, but it did not model them. It warned “increasing speed limits outside schools outside school hours may increase the risk of deaths, serious and minor injuries”, however, it said the number of any additional deaths was uncertain. It said introducing variable speed limits, which meant lower speeds during pick-up and drop-off
n the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport published this year, Brown appeared to make good on his coalition agreement promise, saying: “GPS 2024 will also include investment in infrastructure to reverse recent speed limit reductions where it is safe to do so, enabling people to get where they need to go quickly and safely.”
By the time the final GPS was published some months later, the words “where it is safe to do so” had vanished from that sentence.
Brown downplayed the change and did not explain his decision to remove those words.
He said he was legally obliged to consider safety, regardless of whether those specific words were used in the GPS.
“As Minister of Transport, I am required by law to consider the safety of New Zealanders when setting the new speed limit rule,” Brown said
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