Brown defends reversing blanket speed reductions
The transport minister is defending the government’s plans to reverse blanket speed reductions, saying the government is taking a “balanced approach”.
The government wants to scrap blanket reductions – introduced under Labour at the start of 2020 – on suburban streets, arterial roads and state highways by July 2025.
The proposal will also allow limits of up to 120km/h on new roads of national significance built to accommodate that speed.
The new legislation is set to be introduced by the end of September, with public consultation closing this Thursday.
The government argues that the change will boost productivity and economic growth.
The science is clear…
Former chief science adviser for the Ministry of Transport, Simon Kingham, criticises the proposal, saying it will increase the number of road casualties and injuries, deaths by air pollution, as well as increase greenhouse gas emissions.
…I despise Simeon Brown, he has all the smug undeserved self belief of a fundamentalist Christian.
He has weaponisation our impatience to lift speed limits which will directly result in more deaths…
More deaths and injuries expected on Auckland roads due to Government’s plans
Auckland Transport has adjusted its targets for the number of people who’ll die or have serious injuries on the city’s roads, because of the Government’s policy on road safety.
In its draft Statement of Intent chair Richard Leggat wrote it had become ‘increasingly difficult’ to meet Aucklanders’ expectations in light of the new government’s draft Government Policy Statement (GPS).
“The draft GPS has signalled a shift in Government expectations for transport outcomes,” Leggat wrote.
“[It] reduces funding for safety through speed and infrastructure improvements and signals changes to rules around speed limit changes, potentially reversing previously lowered speeds. So, we project deaths and serious injuries to decrease only slightly, if at all, compared with previous targets.”
Auckland Transport’s target for deaths and serious injuries next year has been lifted from 616 to 631 and for the following year it’s been raised from 591 to 621.
…Let’s be very honest.
We are such a cheap bastard nation altho we don’t build safe roads or well engineered roads.
We build cheap goat tracks through Mordor.
And because we are such a nation of cheap bastards we have this appalling carnage on the roads that costs us 4% of GDP!
4% of GDP from terrible car crashes!
It’s a social obligation and responsibility to properly fund and build safe roads when the damage being caused is 4% of GDP!
BUT because we are a nation of cheap bastards, instead of building and engineering safe roads we simply lower the speed limits which generates gridlock, impatience and extreme frustration because there are no upgrades to infrastructure to cope with the huge levels of immigration!
Of course we should lower speeding limits but this must be ON TOP OF better built roads and better engineered public safety and we do that by TAXING THE FUCKING RICH!
Not user pays, not more privatisation, we need a Ministry of Green Works that builds the roads and we need to propel fund it by TAXING THE FUCKING RICH!
We need to see our roads as part of the common good and engineer it for safety, adaptation to climate change and funded by TAXING THE FUCKING RICH!
Thought and Prayers to all those who will die on the roads because of Simeon Brown!
Based on how the previous MoW performed and was perceived to perform at the time, and given New Zealand society’s direction of travel since then, you may want to put some serious, second, thought into a Ministry of Green Works.
Considering how Downers has performed, you may want to put some serious, second, thought into thinking that private companies are a solution.
Spot on stand alone, the roads built by MoW have lasted decades, private roading companies roading works are lucky to last 3 months, the Waikato expressway an example.
Well it would likely operate at lower cost with a maori bloke in a black singlet with a shovel and a pink 44 gallon drum rather than than 10,000 road cones and two bumper trucks every time the local council decides to mow a grass verge.
I feel for those poor people who are unable to upgrade from their Morris Minors for which the 100kph highway speed limits are at least somewhat reasonable. Perhaps there could be a subsidy to allow them to buy a second hand car manufactured in the last fifty years or so?
It was never a blanket change to speed .That is just another national party lie .The reduced speeds were applied to areas of NZ where serious crashes occur on a regular basis .An example is the section of Napier /Taupo road that was reduced to 80 has not seen a single death in those 3 years .How ever there has been death on the section that is still 100k .So if simple simeon increases speed to 110 all the ranger and SUV brigade will be doing 130k .I have noted a lot more drivers of those vehicles doing well over the 100 k on state hiway 3 since he started his false accusations that speed had been reduced on every road in the country .The local result is a 3 car crash on a straight piece of road due to speed and overtaking on a yellow line zone .But its ok as the simpleton says we should drive faster and have more fun doing it .
I certainly don’t condone overtaking on yellow lines, to the extent that these have been placed with any validity- which should only be near blind corners and obscured entrances to the road (and why, pray, are such obscured entrances not legally required to be unobscured for the sake of safety?), but when speeds have been arbitrarily reduced across the board some impatient people will take opportunities to pass unsafe slow drivers where they can.
they have not been reduced across the board or as the government would have you believe a blanket reduction .Across the board or blanket mean in total .10 k of 70k is neither blanket or across the board so stop lying to your self and everyone else who is thick or dumb
Indeed. Impatience on our roads is already killing people.
When it comes to “the science”. What is being overlooked is “the science” is turning modern cars into listening devices that record, track and trace all your discussions and movement. Yet, nobody seems to be speaking up about that.
We had 6 years of people who don’t drive making the rules for those who do, now it’s time for reality to return thanks very much.
What does that mean? As Gordon points out half the rhetoric is National bullshit. Sure look at speeds on some motorways but the rest of it is ideological bollocks from a screaming god botherer.
“…I despise Simeon Brown,”
Me too.
Next he will allow the ranger brigade to travel at 110 through road works sites .Having 20 less cones is going to make fuck all difference to the cost as T/M will still be needed .Are road workers now expected to turn up every day expecting to be maimed or killed so drivers can get to where they are going 15 seconds quicker .The perceived saving to the economy of that 15 seconds will be far outweighed by the cost of maimed and killed workers .Imagine the increase in the cost of ACC levies because they are no longer protected from harm .Dont get me wrong I hate road cones as much as the next person .But 100 near misses = a serious injury or death and most road workers will be exposed to that 100 daily .Every time a car passes there is that risk so if Simeon has his way there will be more road workers killed each year .
This is the same tough guy who was going to sort out the gangs when in opposition but pissed his pants when a gang member said BOO to him in the supermarket .Now he wants more deaths on our roads .SOOO fucken tough .
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