Safer speed limits coming to Western Bay schools
Safer speed limits are coming to Western Bay of Plenty schools, with the first stage of Council’s school speed sign programme now underway.
Over the next week, new static variable speed signs will be installed outside six schools in the District:
- Matahui School
- Ōmokoroa Point School
- OneSchool Global (Ōropi)
- Ōropi School
- Paengaroa School
- Te Kura o Te Moutere o Matakana
The new variable speed signs will reduce the speed limit to 30km/h during drop-off and pick-up times, returning to the usual speed limit outside these times. The reduced speed zones will extend around 150m to 300m in each direction from the school gates.
Delivered in two stages, the first stage involves the installation of static signs, displaying the times when the 30km/h speed limit applies.
The second stage, expected to begin in July, will see the installation of electronic signs that automatically activate, at a further 19 schools in the District.
At Te Kura o Maketū, a static sign will be installed later in the year, due to other roadworks currently happening in the area.
The programme is part of a nationwide rollout, following the Government’s introduction of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024, which requires Councils to make reasonable efforts toward implementing variable speed limits outside schools by 1 July 2026.
“Many Western Bay schools are in rural areas where speed limits are higher, so the variable signs are especially important to help slow traffic at the most critical times of the school day,” says Western Bay of Plenty District Council Road Safety Engineer Queenie Cao.
“We’re asking drivers to be aware and adjust their speed around school drop-off and pick-up times. It’s a simple change, but it makes a big difference to keeping children safe around schools.”
