Auckland Transport has decided in favour of reducing the speed limit in Waiheke. This will largely reduce the island’s speed limit from 50kph to 30kph. The changes will come into effect between December 2022 to March 2023 but local trades people and business owners are left largely underwhelmed by the news.
Ken Anderson from Waiheke Couriers says it is going to impact the speed of his service. “We did a test run the other day from Mātiatia and it was a big drop in time. We stick to the speed limit and there have been no major accidents for a long time,” he says.
It also highlights other roading issues that are being ignored by Auckland Transport Ken says.
‘‘Buses are too big for the roads, we see them all the time, they can’t even get around the corners.”
Vibeke Brethouwer, co-chair of Cycle Action Waiheke, doesn’t think it will be a major change. “[But] traffic will be calmed down, and safer for humans.”
One of the big problems is Waiheke’s narrow roads and lack of footpaths, Vibeke says, she knows several people who’ve been clipped by wing-mirrors while walking or cycling. “[And] we’ve always advocated for slower speeds on narrow ‘feeder’ roads that are shared by pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists.” • Olivia Walker
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