SUBMISSION ON THE DRAFT SPEED MANAGEMENT PLAN
2024-2027
We wish to be heard in person.

Summary
Overall Hutt Cycle Network (HCN) support the draft plan, particularly its principles
and objectives.

1. We commend council for making safety, mode shift and emissions reduction
top priorities.

2. We support the vision for 2034 and, given the critical importance of mode
shift and emissions reductions, urge council to bring this timeframe forward
and go further faster. Increased safety, increased active mode use and
decreased emissions are worthy of a more aggressive plan. The health of our
community and planet will not wait. Safe speeds should be the rule, not the
exception.
The following are specific comments regarding the plan for managing speed
between 2024 and 2027:
1. Even when combined with the proposed school speed zones, this plan leaves
gaps between ‘islands’ of safe speed zones when travelling by active modes
between train stations/public transport hubs and schools. For example:
between the Waterloo Station speed zone and the school speed zones for the
surrounding areas there are gaps. This seems to assume the safe speed
zones around schools are for the benefit of people being driven to school
rather than for the purpose of providing safety for active transport users and
encouraging further uptake of active modes. Given how important
perceptions of safety are to uptake of active modes, creating these gaps will
reduce the overall positive impact of the proposed speed reductions.
2. Small gaps between speed zones will also decrease the ‘legibility’ of the
speed ‘landscape’ to motorists. There is bound to be driver angst about
‘constantly changing speeds’ along a single route. As such it would make
more sense to motorists to expand small zones into larger zones without the
gaps.

3. There is a missed opportunity to use safe speed zones to ‘bridge some gaps’
between various parts of the cycle network. It is unfortunate that this plan
has been tabled without further integration with a cycle network plan and
consultation with Hutt Cycle Network. There could have been some ‘quick
wins’. For example
a. Providing a safer north-south route on the eastern side of the rail
corridor by making either Cambridge Terrace or Waiwhetu Road 30 km
zones. Slowing traffic on Cambridge Terrace would make it safer
especially around Epuni Station and the new Kainga Ora developments.
Slowing traffic on Waiwhetu Road would save dozens of unnecessary
side street speed limit signs.
b. Pharazyn Street: greater clarity is needed over the 30km zone applying
when the train station is relocated as part of the RiverLink project.

4. It is fabulous to see so much of the CBD covered by safe speeds zones. This
should be expanded to include the section of Queens Drive alongside
Riddiford Gardens to improve safety for cyclists on this route (volumes of
which may increase once Melling to Petone cycleway opens) and decrease
the severance between the Civic precinct and the South End businesses and
Riverbank.

5. The advent of in-vehicle navigation using GPS (such as Google Maps,
TomTom etc) has increased the use of neighbourhood roads for ‘rat-running’.
This makes those roads less safe for residents and less available to active
transport users as unofficial neighbourhood routes; this plan should have
included identifying and prioritising those routes and including them as
priority areas for safe speed zones.

6. What provision is being made for educating road users about these changes?

Who are we?
The Hutt Cycle Network is a collective representing people in the Hutt Valley who use
bikes for transport. We are focused on the improvement of the micromobility
infrastructure throughout the Hutt Valley, especially for people on bikes. We are
committed to advocating for and supporting outcomes that ensure cycling becomes
a safe and attractive method of transport in and around our city and region for all
members of the Hutt Valley community. We recognise that this is vital for our health,
our environment and our economy.
Context
Hutt Cycle Network are members of the Cycling Action Network (CAN) and
support their policy statement on Safer Speeds.
Submitted by Jo Clendon on behalf of Hutt Cycle Network
jo@clendon.org
ph 021 820 670