1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: So Dunedin City Council is planning to not reverse the 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: speed limits around the city schools, despite the director from 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: local government from government to do so. The report being 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: considered a Wednesday's council meeting will recommend all but one 5 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: Dunedin school keep its thirty k's in our speed limit, 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: with the remaining school only increasing to fifty k's during 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: non peak hours now. Jim O'Malley is the head of 8 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: the Infrastructure Committee for Dunedin Council. Jim higher, hell, how 9 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: are you? Yim? 10 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 2: Very well? 11 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Thank you? Why are you're not doing it? 12 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: Really? Because the public consultation that led to the speed 13 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 2: limit changes in the first place was pretty clear and 14 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 2: a lot of them have been in place for a 15 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 2: long time and the communities really don't want them reversed. 16 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 2: And I think the other one is if we did 17 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 2: do the reversal of this government wanted, no government is 18 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: permanent and we knew that, we know that when another 19 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,319 Speaker 2: government comes back in they want them back to where 20 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 2: they were before, so it would be pretty much a 21 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 2: few toile waste of effort, to be honest. 22 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: So what is it that you've got so tell me? 23 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: If I'm right here, Jim. But my understanding is that 24 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: the current government wants you guys to go to variable 25 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: speed limits, right, so during school hours you drop it 26 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: down to thirty and then the rest of the time 27 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: it's fifty eighty one hundred whatever is that right? 28 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, and also raising speed limits in other parts of 29 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 2: its town that were lowered. 30 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, right, okay, so what's wrong with variable speed limits? 31 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: Speed is you know, variable hours. 32 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: Oh, it's nothing really if it's the right place. So 33 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 2: we do have variable speed limits around the schools that 34 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: have very high traffic around them and stuff like that. 35 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 2: It really goes school by school basis is how they're 36 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,279 Speaker 2: determine whether they're variable terminate And in fact, the Abbots 37 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: had one what they vasked is that can they go 38 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 2: to a variable in the future and they'll reverse back 39 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 2: at this point while they wait. But it's about seven 40 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 2: hundred fifty thousand dollars to put a variable unit in 41 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 2: around the school. 42 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, it's. 43 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 2: Quite expensive to put them into every school. 44 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: How that gym is that? Right? 45 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're electronica and there's a lot of engineering you 46 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 2: go with it at the same time, and so then. 47 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,279 Speaker 1: You know, outside of in places that is outside of school, 48 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: so not just schools. Are you also refusing to lift 49 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: the speed limits back up from like eighty to one hundred? 50 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 2: Let's say, well, it's not so much refusing as we 51 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: and a lot of other councilors looked at the new 52 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 2: speed limit rules and said that they were quite ambiguous 53 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 2: and they weren't instructives, so therefore there was no instruction there, 54 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 2: so we didn't have to follow them. 55 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: But you did what we did, right. But it's pretty 56 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: clear what the government wants you to do, isn't it. 57 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 2: Well, it was clear what the previous minister wanted to do. 58 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,359 Speaker 2: I don't think the current minister is particularly interested in 59 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 2: speed limit changes. Doesn't seem to be giving direction. Hold on, 60 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 2: are you talking that doing this? I mean most councils 61 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 2: are doing this. 62 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,839 Speaker 1: Are you talking about the difference between Simmy and Brown 63 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: and Chris Bishop. 64 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think a lot goes around who is the 65 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 2: minister at the time. So it was Simy and Brown 66 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: who bought these changes in and now Chris Bishop as 67 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 2: the minister. 68 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: So in your opinion, Simeon was clear that he wanted 69 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: speed limits up, but Chris Bishop sounds a bit sort 70 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: of ambiguous. 71 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: It doesn't seem like as as high priori as I mean, 72 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 2: when Minister Brown was in charge, he would he was 73 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 2: stretting to go in an a line item change speed 74 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: limits if he didn't like them. 75 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: Okay, but doesn't the previous minister's directive stand until the 76 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: new minister changes? 77 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: Oh yeah it does. And the rule was the rule 78 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 2: was issued. And when we've looked at the rule, like, 79 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 2: there's nothing instructing this rule that they rule. Actually, this 80 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 2: rhythm doesn't really instruct the way maybe the minister had intended, 81 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 2: but that's the rule that's been issued by the minister. 82 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: But then, Jim, you guys are playing silly buggers, aren't you, 83 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: because you know what he intended, and so he issued 84 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: a rule and then you find in wiggleway wiggling room 85 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:21,959 Speaker 1: in this is that right? 86 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 2: Well, I don't move by, silly buggers, because I mean, 87 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 2: it'll be four million dollars to do those reversals, and 88 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: then when Labor get it it gets back in, it'll 89 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 2: be four million dollars to put them back in again. 90 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 2: You're looking after the long term interest of the rape perers. 91 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: Else the next labor government is going to be as 92 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: nutty as the last one. 93 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 2: These these are not unpopular changes in the community. They're 94 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 2: very popular in their communities. The community, they're not asking 95 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 2: them to go back. 96 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: Now that's a fair point that maybe. 97 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 2: You're actually crossing asking a very important line here, which 98 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 2: is when does local government have authority and when the 99 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 2: central government. 100 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: And you've got a fair point there. So if to 101 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: my mind, if a community wants something very very badly, 102 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: then the community within reason should have it. Am you 103 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: sure though, that your community wants it? Because I've come 104 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: across councils before doing the old consultation and getting the 105 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: answer they want. 106 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 2: Well, you know, I was I cheered those consultation committees 107 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 2: when you're bringing the entrance screen limits. With the reviews 108 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 2: we've done over the last four or five years, I've 109 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: been very extensive and we've had two sets of hearing 110 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 2: sets I reckon both days, had over five days of hearings, 111 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 2: so that's around about probably two hundred people who heard 112 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 2: of the hearings, well over a couple of thousand submissions. 113 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 2: The direction was obvious and so that's the way we went. 114 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: And if we were wrong, then the community would be 115 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 2: coming out now saying you do what the government asked, 116 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 2: but we're actually getting the opposite. We're getting please bring 117 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 2: this road down. Why having you brought it down now? 118 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 2: And we're like, well, we're waiting on the new speed 119 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 2: limit rules. So actually, if anything, the communities are actually 120 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 2: wanting the roads to be slower. Once they see them slower, 121 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 2: the safety advantage and they also realized that the journey 122 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 2: didn't take much longer. 123 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: Okay, Jim, listen, thank you. I really appreciate you taking 124 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: the time to talk us through it. That's Jim Omalley, 125 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: Dunedin City Council, Council in the chair of the Infrastructure Committee. 126 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 127 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 128 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.