SH6 speed limit increase ‘disrespectful’

Speeds of 100kmh are returning to SH6 between Nelson and Blenheim despite a local community decisively rejecting one of the increases in northern Nelson.

The changes are the result of the Coalition Government’s updated speed limit rule that aimed to reverse the reductions which took place during the previous Labour administration.

Six sections of highway in the Top of the South, from Marybank to Woodbourne, that were lowered in December 2020 were consulted on.

In each case, a majority of submitters favoured raising the speeds limits from a mix of 60, 80, and 90kmh back to 100kmh. The increases must be implemented by 1 July.

Speeds through rural townships on the highway will not increase, and consultation is ongoing for the proposed increases in Marybank and Wakefield.

But the margin of opposition was narrow for the stretch of SH6 between Marybank and the beginning of the Whangamoas.

About 56 per cent of respondents wanted to increase the speed limit on that section. However, more than two thirds of the respondents from the local community wanted the speed limit to remain unchanged from 80kmh.

NZTA confirmed that under the Government’s rule, the speed limit decision could only consider the overall consultation response, with no weighting given to particular road user groups, and excluded both safety and economic considerations.

SH6 from Nelson to Blenheim was classified as high-risk before speeds were reduced, which led to a 93 per cent drop in fatal and serious crashes.

In the 10 years from 2009 to 2018, 20 people died and 92 were seriously injured on the route. Of these, 19 of the deaths and 87 of the serious injuries were in 100kmh zones.

Nelson MP Rachel Boyack slammed the decision, saying that a speed limit increase would result in more crashes.

“That’s on the Government,” she says. “If they want to make choices based on public opinion rather than evidence and science and safety for people, that is on them.”

Rachel thinks the lack of specific consideration given to the local community is “disrespectful” because it was people that lived in the area who knew the road the best.

“It’s their family members, their friends, who are the ones at risk.” A particular concern was the highway’s “dangerous” intersection with Glen Road.

“We’ve had some pretty serious accidents on that corner and so, from a safety perspective, I don’t think it’s safe for it to be put back to 100[kmh].”
Resident Karenna Wood agrees.

She lives on the intersection of Glen Road and SH6 which she describes as an “absolute nightmare”.

She is “hugely concerned” about the speed limit increase as she and her neighbours already have trouble entering and exiting their driveways due the speed of traffic, and she drives her children to their school bus stop because of safety concerns.

Other residents in the area are also concerned about the speed limit increase.
Todds Valley resident Debs Martin works in Marlborough and says she’s encountered many crashes on the highway.

“It’s outrageous,” she says. “I’m really worried about peoples’ lives. We used to have a lot of people killed on those roads and since the speed limit’s gone down, it’s been a lot better.”

All the residents indicated that there should be more weight given to the local community.

“It’s really difficult when somebody from Wellington is making decisions based on data in front of them, rather than sitting in the road conditions locally,” Karenna says.

Grant Haywood, the Fire and Emergency NZ district manager for Nelson Marlborough, supported retaining the lower speeds, specifically between Rai Valley and Hira.

In that area, FENZ data indicates a reduction in both total incidents attended and serious injuries since speed were reduced.

“We have responded to numerous serious accidents that have caused trauma for our crews and the community,” Grant’s submission said.

“Increasing the speed limit will likely exacerbate these risks rather than improve safety outcomes.”

Rai Valley fire chief Nigel Patterson is personally undecided as to whether he disagreed with the speed limit changes or not.

“A lot more people are impatient because the speed limit’s down. But then if you take the speed limit up, are we going to have more crashes? I don’t know.”

He sees a lot of drivers do “dumb stuff” on the road, though recent road upgrades such as more double yellow lines have reduced the number of chances that people take.

Nigel does, however, think “it would be nice” if the windy road through the Whangamoas had been left at 60kmh.

The increases are supported by some, however. Jax Smith, managing director of general freight for Marlborough-based Renwick Transport was “really pleased” by the changes.

The trucking company makes about 50–60 round trips to Nelson a week.

“It’s huge for us,” she says. “By drivers being able to consistently drive – whether that’s a car or a truck – at their speed, we think that is going to, in the long run, save us time and money.”

Jax says Renwick Transport was “really safety conscious” but truck cameras had recorded an increase of motorists growing impatient behind their vehicles.

“What it comes down to is drivers behind the wheel, and the decisions they make, not so much the speed at the end of the day.”

Kyle Lightfoot, chair of the Automobile Association’s Nelson District Council, echoes similar sentiments.

The AA supported raising the speed limits back to 100kmh, even though Kyle acknowledges that reaching that speed on some of the route was unsafe.

“The speed limit is not a target. We encourage all drivers to drive to the conditions; we want our roads to be safe.”