School Zone and Community Speed Limits 2023-24

This consultation is now closed.

Speed limits in Central Otago are reviewed periodically to ensure they remain appropriate through changes to road use, align with national and local objectives, and meet the needs of the local community. Speed is a major factor in death and injury on our roads. Safer speeds and improved safety will make our roads safe for all users.

The public was invited to share their feedback on the proposed speed limit changes to improve safety across the Central Otago District. Consultation ran from 29 November 2023 to 11 February 2024. Public engagement was instrumental in ensuring the final decision reflects the needs of the community. The Speed Management Plan was approved by CODC and approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). To see the results of this consultation, click here.

Update: The introduction of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 on 28 September 2024 brought significant changes to speed management nationwide. The Rule invalidated all Speed Management Plans not implemented before 30 October 2024, meaning Council’s proposed changes — while compliant with the Rule’s technical standards — could not proceed due to the planned implementation date of 15 November 2024.

The Rule also requires certain speed limit reductions implemented after 1 January 2020 to revert to their previous limits. In Central Otago, this only affects Gilling Place at Goldfields Primary School in Cromwell. In most cases under the new rule schools must have variable speed limits outside the school gates. A variable speed limit lowers the speed during school drop-off and pick-up times. The speed limit reverts to a higher speed limit outside of these times. For example, Goldfields Primary School in Gilling Place, Cromwell will be changed to a 30 km/h speed limit during operational hours and a 50 km/h speed limit at all other times.

In the original proposals, most schools were already planned to have variable speed limits. The Council will continue rolling these out under the new Rule, with some modifications to timing and distance parameters. The most significant change is Clyde Primary School, which will be a variable speed limit, rather than the permanent 30 km/h speed limit that was initially proposed.

Sign installations will align with the start of the 2025 school year. However, for schools with gates adjacent to State Highways, such as Tarras, Roxburgh, Alexandra Primary, and St Gerard’s, any speed limit changes will be implemented in collaboration with NZTA to ensure consistency.