WEBVTT - Simeon Brown: Proposed speed limit changes

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News talks'b.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, so let's rip into it. Hang on a minute,

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<v Speaker 2>I've just got to turn a page on the notes,

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<v Speaker 2>because there we go. Okay, the government has proposed speed

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<v Speaker 2>limit changes. You might have heard the news a few

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<v Speaker 2>days ago about christ Church and two major stretches of road,

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<v Speaker 2>but more recently in Auckland. The roads impacted would be

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<v Speaker 2>the christ Church Southern Motorway and State Highway one north

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<v Speaker 2>of Auckland, both proposed to move from one hundred k

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<v Speaker 2>an hour to one hundred and ten kilometers an hour.

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<v Speaker 2>To discuss that, Transport Minister Simeon Brown joins me. Now, Simeon,

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<v Speaker 2>good afternoon. Good afternoon, So firstly, with these decisions to

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<v Speaker 2>up the speed limit, do you base these decisions on

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<v Speaker 2>research evidence or just a hunch.

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<v Speaker 3>It's based on the design standard that the road was

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<v Speaker 3>built to. These roads are built to a safe standard

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<v Speaker 3>of being able to drive at one hundred and ten

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<v Speaker 3>kilimeters per hour, and so we are going through the

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<v Speaker 3>process to have those speed limits applied, to have it

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<v Speaker 3>increased one hundred and ten kilimeters per so people can

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<v Speaker 3>travel quickly and safely, reduce their travel times and get

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<v Speaker 3>where they want to go along. There's major pieces of

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<v Speaker 3>infrastructure which have been built to that standard.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you actually have to sort of consult with anyone

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<v Speaker 2>in particular or you just say, look, talk to the

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<v Speaker 2>people who design the roads and say, what was this

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<v Speaker 2>designed for?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, that's a really good question. I mean, under the

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<v Speaker 3>current speed limit rule, there has to be a public consultation,

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<v Speaker 3>and so that is what's happening. The public will be

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<v Speaker 3>consultant on whether they want to have that speed limit

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<v Speaker 3>increased under the new proposed speed limit rule, which we've

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<v Speaker 3>just finished or we're just in the process of completing.

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<v Speaker 3>When it comes to roads that are built to one

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<v Speaker 3>hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, that will allow the

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<v Speaker 3>Director of Land Transport to just simply apply that speed

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<v Speaker 3>limit when the road opens, rather than to have to

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<v Speaker 3>go through this process of consulting, which is what's happening

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<v Speaker 3>at the stage.

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<v Speaker 2>Are there many other roads on your horizon for speed

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<v Speaker 2>limit change.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, all of the roads of national significance which are

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<v Speaker 3>built under the last National government, which were built to

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<v Speaker 3>one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, where going through

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<v Speaker 3>the process at the stage to have their speed limits

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<v Speaker 3>increased to one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. So

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<v Speaker 3>the Company Expressway is another where they've just finished consultation

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<v Speaker 3>and hopefully a decision on that will be made shortly.

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<v Speaker 3>As you mentioned earlier, the christ Church Southern Motorway and

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<v Speaker 3>then the Pooho were to walk with Motorway, and of

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<v Speaker 3>course a couple of years ago the White Color Expressway

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<v Speaker 3>had its speed limit increased one hundred and ten. So

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<v Speaker 3>the government wants to have every road which is built

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<v Speaker 3>to that standard to be able to operate at that

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<v Speaker 3>standard to help reduce travel times, help people get where

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<v Speaker 3>they want to go quickly and safely.

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<v Speaker 2>Just a quick, quick one. Are these roads still at

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<v Speaker 2>the standard for which they were designed or do we

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<v Speaker 2>then need to do some work on them.

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<v Speaker 3>Some of them need some minor improvements made to them.

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<v Speaker 3>For example, the design standard requires there to be a

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<v Speaker 3>medium barrier in side barriers, and so for some of

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<v Speaker 3>them there's well, they all have median barriers. Some of

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<v Speaker 3>them have small part portions of the road which don't

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<v Speaker 3>have side barriers, so there may need to be some

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<v Speaker 3>minor improvements done on putting those side barriers in place.

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<v Speaker 3>Prior to that change happening. Those would just be some

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<v Speaker 3>small changes. It will happen prior to that spglement being applied.

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<v Speaker 2>Because people are pretty passionate about speed limit changes. What

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<v Speaker 2>are road safety advocates say about this and what sort

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<v Speaker 2>of voice do they get in this discussion.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, ultimately, these roads are built to a safe standard

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<v Speaker 3>of one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. So there's

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<v Speaker 3>a design standard which looks at what are the risks

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<v Speaker 3>at traveling at one hundred and ten kilometers per hour.

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<v Speaker 3>Those risks have been mitigated through the design of the road,

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<v Speaker 3>which includes the width of the lanes, medium barriers, side barriers,

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<v Speaker 3>other design standards in terms of the surface as well. Ultimately,

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<v Speaker 3>if the roads built to that standard, the government's viewers,

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<v Speaker 3>we should be able to operate them at that standard

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<v Speaker 3>to help reduce travel times so people get where they

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<v Speaker 3>want to go quickly and safely.

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<v Speaker 2>How much what's the process from here once they change it?

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<v Speaker 2>You've got to change roads, signage and all that. Is

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<v Speaker 2>there any significant cost assesssaid with that? And what's the

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<v Speaker 2>time sort of scale for these things?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, well, other than just updating the signage, there's some

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<v Speaker 3>side barreas which need to be built. There will take

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<v Speaker 3>a number of or a small portion of time to

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<v Speaker 3>get that done and in the Director of Land Transport

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<v Speaker 3>Edenstay then needs to sign it off. And so the

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<v Speaker 3>time frame under the current process is I said, we're

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<v Speaker 3>changing that process so that these roads can actually have

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<v Speaker 3>that speed limit applied from when they're open, not going

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<v Speaker 3>not a couple of years later, for example for per

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<v Speaker 3>Hoider Walkworth. But under the current process, it will take

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<v Speaker 3>about six months following the consultation for that new speed

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<v Speaker 3>limit to be applied.

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<v Speaker 2>So that that's what the new time will be. Is

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<v Speaker 2>that what you just said, No.

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<v Speaker 3>That's what that's what it will be under the current

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<v Speaker 3>speed limit rule. Okay, what we wanted, what the government

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<v Speaker 3>wants to do is where a road is built to

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<v Speaker 3>one hundred and ten kilimeters per hour, such as the

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<v Speaker 3>per Hoider Walkworth Motorway, we want it to be able

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<v Speaker 3>to open at one hundred and ten kilometers per hour.

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<v Speaker 3>There's a lot of people traveling on that road right

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<v Speaker 3>now wondering why it's not operating at one hundred and ten. Well,

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<v Speaker 3>because there's a very convoluted rule in place. We have

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<v Speaker 3>to go through a public consultation, the Director has to

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<v Speaker 3>sign it off Ultimately it's built to that standard, it

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<v Speaker 3>should be to operate from that standard from the day

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<v Speaker 3>it opens.

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<v Speaker 2>How long is that going to take to change that process?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, we've just finished finished public consultation on that rule change.

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<v Speaker 3>That's the rule which also includes reversing all of the

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<v Speaker 3>blanket speed limit changes the last government put in place.

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<v Speaker 3>We're hoping to finalize that by the end of this

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<v Speaker 3>month and then get that in place so that is

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<v Speaker 3>well underway.

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<v Speaker 2>What happens Where are we at with the suburban street changes.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course, we know in Auckland we've been that sort

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<v Speaker 2>of blanket speed limit reductions down to thirty When are

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<v Speaker 2>those going to pop back up?

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<v Speaker 3>So that's all part of the rule change that we

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<v Speaker 3>are hoping to finalize the end of this month, by

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<v Speaker 3>the end of September. That includes reversing all the thirties

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<v Speaker 3>back to fifties, all of the arterial roads back to sixty,

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<v Speaker 3>and also some of those state highways which had their

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<v Speaker 3>speed limit dropped to eighty, such as the State Highway

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<v Speaker 3>two between Caton and Featherstone, and reversing that back to

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<v Speaker 3>one hundred. So that rule will be will be put

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<v Speaker 3>in place by the end of this month, and then

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<v Speaker 3>it will take a number of months for those signs

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<v Speaker 3>to be then updated and those speed limits be reverted.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you have to when you do pop these speed

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<v Speaker 2>limits back up from thirty to fifty? Do you have

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<v Speaker 2>to a company that with any sort of safety campaign

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<v Speaker 2>as well? For those who might have just got this

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<v Speaker 2>false sense of security.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, ultimately, if you travel down a lot of these

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<v Speaker 3>roads which have gone from fifty to thirty, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>for example Weymouth Road and Manjudewa, it's very hard to

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<v Speaker 3>see anyone they're actually traveling at thirty kilometers per hour.

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<v Speaker 3>A lot of these speed limits are reduced by a

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<v Speaker 3>blanket changes, and actually people aren't following those rules, and

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<v Speaker 3>so what we're actually the message we're sending is actually

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<v Speaker 3>the wrong one at the moment. So by reversing it

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<v Speaker 3>back to a reasonable speed limit, we'll be making sure

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<v Speaker 3>that we can then focus on compliance. This government is

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<v Speaker 3>investing significantly into road safety, particularly focusing those high risk

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<v Speaker 3>behaviors such as drugged driving and drug driving, where over

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<v Speaker 3>fifty percent of fatalities are caused by people drug or drunk,

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<v Speaker 3>and so you really need to focus on the significant

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<v Speaker 3>causes of destin serious injuries on our roads rather than

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<v Speaker 3>just simply slowing down law abiding citizens.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you got any particular fines in your sights for

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<v Speaker 2>different offenses? Were noticed that the fines have gone up

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<v Speaker 2>for parking disabled spots one hundred and fifty to seven

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<v Speaker 2>hundred and fifty dollars. Are there particular punishment punishments? I

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<v Speaker 2>can't think of the right word for it. Sanctions that

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<v Speaker 2>you're looking at revising.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, we have in the government policy Statment on Transport

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<v Speaker 3>said that we as a government will be reviewing fines

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<v Speaker 3>and penalties for things like drug drive and drunk driving,

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<v Speaker 3>including using your cell phone and speeding offenses. We are

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<v Speaker 3>out of line with most countries, particularly with Australia when

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<v Speaker 3>it comes to those offenses. Our government wants to focus

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<v Speaker 3>on enforcement to be those high risk behaviors. But it's

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<v Speaker 3>something we will be reviewing at some point over the

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<v Speaker 3>next twelve months and then looking at what those should be. Ultimately,

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<v Speaker 3>any decision we need to go through go through cabinet.

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<v Speaker 2>Just quickly. It's New Zealand first Private Members Bill to

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<v Speaker 2>get rid of Eukland Transport. Maybe a slightly more nuanced question,

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<v Speaker 2>have you got some sympathy with that idea and are

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<v Speaker 2>there any plans for reform of that organization.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, we share the view that there needs to be

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<v Speaker 3>reform of Auckland Transport. Fundamentally, the organization hasn't been reflecting

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<v Speaker 3>what Aucklanders want, what Aucklanders need. They've been too focused

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<v Speaker 3>on Actually, I think increasing congestion in Auckland with things

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<v Speaker 3>like speed bumps in lane bus stops slowing people down,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's frustrating Aucklander is so change must happen. I'm

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<v Speaker 3>working with the Mayor, Wayne Brown on what that change

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<v Speaker 3>will be. What we're looking at, what roles and responsibilities

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<v Speaker 3>should be in different parts of whether it's Auckland Transport

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<v Speaker 3>setting the Regional Land Transport Plan, in a range of

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<v Speaker 3>other things. Because ultimately we want to have more democratic

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<v Speaker 3>accountability for transport decisions and Auckland. That's the outcome we

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<v Speaker 3>want now and that's the that's the outcome we're going

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<v Speaker 3>to be doing something.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I guess just to dig into that, just one

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<v Speaker 2>more question, perhaps because Wayne Brown's tweet is his support

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<v Speaker 2>of that bill, I understand, is there any chance you

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<v Speaker 2>guys might actually pick up that New Zealand First bill

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<v Speaker 2>and run with it or you will you come up

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<v Speaker 2>with someone yourself, your own sort of thing and consultation and.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, ultimately any decisions we make as the government will

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<v Speaker 3>go through go through the Cabinet, which include New Zealand

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<v Speaker 3>First and Act, and it will look at all of

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<v Speaker 3>the elements which are included in terms of you know,

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<v Speaker 3>what roles and responsibilities should Auckland Transport have. How do

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<v Speaker 3>we have more democratic accountability of decision making. But it's

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<v Speaker 3>not just about shifting responsibilities from one part of Auckland

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<v Speaker 3>Council to another part. It's actually making sure that we

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<v Speaker 3>have more democratic accountability so that the decisions being made

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<v Speaker 3>around Transport and Auckland are actually aligned with what Auckland

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<v Speaker 3>does think. That's the focus that I've got and it's

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<v Speaker 3>working very closely with the Mere to make sure that

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<v Speaker 3>is what we achieve.

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<v Speaker 2>Excellent. Just on international matters, did you manage to watch

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<v Speaker 2>the rugby at all?

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<v Speaker 3>Or unfortunately not?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh no, well okay we at least you know the result. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>I appreciate your time, same in Thanks very much, thank you,

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<v Speaker 2>Bye bye. That's Simeon Brown, Minister of Transport.

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