Staged crash urges speed limit action

At 8:15am on Monday morning, a child was hit by a car as they cycled along Atawhai Drive/State Highway 6… or rather, that’s what Atawhai parents fear could happen.

The New Zealand Transport Agency will soon raise the speed limit back to 100kmh on seven sections of State Highway 6 between Nelson and Blenheim – including two sections where the local community rejected the increases.

But another 1.6km section of highway, through Marybank in northern Nelson, is going through its own consultation process to see if the road will remain at 60kmh or return to 80kmh.

The potential of a speed limit increase in that area, contrary to the community’s opinion, has alarmed local parents who staged a grizzly scene to encourage residents to submit on the proposal before consultation closes on 14 May.

Parents for Active Travel Atawhai (PATA) spokesperson Femke Meinderts says the display shows the “ultimate consequence” of raising speed limits.

“Putting the speed limit up is going to really increase the risk of our children getting hurt on this stretch of road,” she says.

“We’re very afraid for our community, because we’ve seen the statistics.”

NZTA has said that the all-injury crash rate on that specific stretch of state highway would be 23 per cent lower at 60kmh than at 80kmh.

Though the special speed limit review for Marybank will consider the safety impacts, unlike the other increases along SH6, the prospect of faster speeds is still a concern for Femke who has seen the real impacts of crashes outside of statistics.

“When I was a child, I saw the body of my classmate on the side of the road, and I think that had a massive impact on me as a child,” she says.

“He got killed right in front of us. It was a horrible moment, but it also reminded us how vulnerable children are, and it’s always stayed with me.

“We need to really think about the kids getting to school and how we’re keeping our roads safe for them on their way around the neighbourhood.”

To ensure that the Marybank speed limit doesn’t go the same way as the other SH6 sections, Femke has “kissed goodbye” to her plans for the remainder of the consultation period as she focuses on urging residents to “get off your backsides and fill in the form”.

“It only takes five minutes.”

Fellow PATA member Emily Osborne says that drivers need to “get real” as a speed limit increase will save motorists “only” 13 seconds.

“There’s always going to be trucks, there’s always going to be kids. We can’t stop either thing, so why not just work together and keep at 60 and let us all get on with our lives?”

They both encourage opponents of keeping the speed limit  to drive out to visit the area themselves.

“Very few people, I think, would come to the conclusion that this section should be sped up,” Femke says.

The regional transport committee had submitted in favour of retaining the 60kmh limit.

Deputy chair and Nelson Mayor Nick Smith is “hopeful” that the lower speed will remain.

Nelson MP Rachel Boyack says it was “critical” for the Marybank speed limit to remain at 60kmh.

She is urging residents who contacted NZTA with their concerns about the prospect of a speed limit increase along the route before it opened for consultation, back when it was slated to automatically increase, to let the agency know they want their feedback considered with the consultation, as it isn’t currently.

The Automobile Association has also submitted in support of the 60kmh limit.

You can have your say on the Marybank speed limit here.