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Motorists using some of east Auckland’s busiest roads will soon be able to travel at 60km/h – depending on the level of congestion – instead of the current speed limit of 50km/h.
Pakuranga MP and Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown says he welcomes Auckland Transport’s (AT) recent confirmation of speed limit changes on local streets and the city’s key arterial roads, “which will enable Aucklanders to get to where they want to go, quickly and safely”.
“AT has now confirmed the local roads where Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions will be reversed as a result of our Government’s new sensible speed limit rule,” Brown says.
“Our Government campaigned on reversing Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions on local streets and key arterial roads.
“An overwhelming 57.8 per cent of Auckland voters elected our Government, and we are delivering on this commitment.”
Key changes include returning the former speed limits on key arterial roads such as Pakuranga Road, which goes from 50km/h back to 60km/h.
Among the other busy local roads which will see their speed limits rise from the current 50km/h to 60km/h are Cascades Road between 300 metres west of Aviemore Drive to Botany Road, Pakuranga Road between 180 metres east of Kerswill Place and Ridge Road, and Ti Rakau Drive between Pakuranga Road and Chapel Road.
Four different sections of Te Irirangi Drive are going back up to 60km/h from their current 50km/h.
Changes to speed limits on specified arterial roads will start on March 17 while changes to speed limits around schools will start in early May and will be completed by the end of June.
“These changes strike a balance by ensuring slower speed limits during pick-up and drop-off times outside schools, but not slowing everyone down during other times of the day,” Brown says.
“Aucklanders expect a sensible approach to speed limits on our roads, and that’s what our Government is delivering.
“I welcome AT’s decision to move quickly to implement these changes.”
It’s an issue Brown has been discussing for years, having also launched a petition in 2023, which he delivered to AT, calling for speed limits on three local roads to be raised.
AT had previously announced it was reducing the speed limits on 1600 roads around the city as part of an effort to save lives and prevent serious injuries resulting from crashes.
“Evidence shows speed is a factor in more than 70 per cent of injury crashes in New Zealand,” AT said at the time.
“We need to do everything we can to create safe school neighbourhoods so parents feel confident their children can walk, bike, or scooter to school.”
Brown’s petition asked AT to reinstate the previous, higher speed limits on Pakuranga Road, Ti Rakau Drive, and Te Irirangi Drive, all of which have had their limits reduced.
The previous Labour Government’s blanket approach to speed limit reductions was also opposed by the Howick Local Board, which provided feedback to AT in 2024 on the agency’s interim speed management plan.
The board said it didn’t support lowering speed limits “carte blanche” across urban streets as “drivers who choose to ignore speed limits will do so irrespective of whatever limit is set”.
The local board’s feedback to AT stated it did not reducing speeds on commuter roads.
“Larger arterial and well-used roads need to have their existing speed limits maintained in the majority of cases or the city will grind to even more of a standstill than it has already, particularly in peak flows.
“Congested traffic is generally able to keep moving on roads with higher speed limits.
“Penalising law-abiding drivers by increasing journey times is both unfair and not the answer.”
