Simeon Brown says "economic impacts" need to "count" alongside safety.

Alternative headline: National to spend $30m to sacrifice some of your lives so our trip is slightly faster.

The changes have been endorsed by transport researchers and street safety advocates as effective measures to help reduce the number of Kiwis killed and injured on the roads.

That’s all there is to it.

  • @Ilovethebomb
    4•9 months ago

    National to actually spend money on safety upgrades and road maintenance, rather than the band-aid solution of lowering speed limits.

    Seriously, the evidence this actually works is tenuous at best, and that’s assuming people actually follow the new limits.

    There’s also a number of routes, the new Kapiti expressway for example, that could handle much higher limits, and in fact frequently do handle vehicles travelling much faster.

    Speaking to media today, Hipkins claimed it appeared National was simply re-announcing what the Government’s stated position was.

    Labour are also saying this is more or less their policy, so it doesn’t sound like they will be much different at all.

    • @sylverstream
      5•9 months ago

      Yep totally agreed. 100 feels so slow there. Should be 120 or so.

      I’m all for lowering speed limits in urban areas.

      Also there should be more focus on other things like alcohol testing, fatigue, keeping distance, etc. But speed is easier to test and brings in cash.

      • @Ilovethebomb
        3•9 months ago

        I can tell you from experience that 130 on the expressway doesn’t feel particularly fast either.

        Fortunately you rarely see police north of Paraparaumu on that road.