Selwyn's mayor had to cast a deciding vote for the first time to approve a package of speed-limit changes across the district.
Selwyn District Council was tied 5-5 when voting on Wednesday to approve almost 40 recommended changes, with some councillors opposed to a potential amendment stemming from a member of the public's last-minute plea for further speed reductions.
Mayor Lydia Gliddon had the final vote and supported the changes.
Gliddon was on the decision-making panel that had taken “everyone's views into consideration” in making the recommendations to the council.
Voting against the recommendations would have been inconsistent, she said.
Gliddon told Local Democracy Reporting having to be the tiebreaker was “a little bit uncomfortable”.
“But we have to make decisions that are consistent, especially because I sat on the hearings panel.
“We put in a lot of work to come up with the recommendations, so it wasn't just an on-the-whim decision.”
She said many of the decisions were about network consistency and "to try and keep people safe while we are undertaking intersection upgrades because we can't do everything all at once either".
Gliddon acknowledged there will be future options to further adjust speed limits.
The almost 40 planned changes will go to NZTA for final approval, with $11,000 worth of new signs expected to go up from December.
The proposals cover urban, rural and peri-urban roads, with strong support and opposition from different communities.
They include a regular hot spot for crashes on Shands Road, with the section from Selwyn Road to the intersection of Ellesmere Junction Road reducing from 100 to 80kph.
Springston Rolleston Rd from Rolleston town boundary to Shands Rd will drop to 80 km/h, as will several other roads in the area between Rolleston and Lincoln.
In the public forum at the start of Wednesday’s meeting, Trices Road resident Alastair Joyce presented a request for further speed reductions along his road than those recommended by the panel.
His arguments had swayed some councillors, and an amendment was foreshadowed to include Joyce’s suggestion.
Prior to the vote, Cr Aaron McGlinchy, who also sat on the panel, raised concern about the process.
McGlinchy said any last-minute changes would suggest Joyce had the last word and the council gave it “undue weight relative to other people with similar views”.
He said the panel had robust discussions, which included considering a written submission from Joyce after a late timing change meant he couldn't present in person, and also drove all the roads in question to inspect them in person before finalising the recommendations.
Gliddon also noted that NZTA recently approved reductions to the speed limits through both Kirwee and Sheffield townships from 70kph to 50kph on State Highway 73, and the 2.6km section of SH1 south of Rolleston, to the new roundabout, down from 100kph to 80kph.
They are expected to be in place next week, she said.
Proposed new speeds in Selwyn
30 km/h: Christensen Parade and Rōhutu Way
40 km/h: All local roads in Selwyn Huts and Rakaia Huts
50 km/h: sections of Greendale, McLaughlins and Telegraph roads near Darfield, and on Dunsandel Brookside and Leeston Dunsandel roads
60 km/h: sections of Hamptons, Longstaffs, Trices, Collins and Timber Yard, Ayelsbury and Hororātā roads
80 km/h: Claire, Rattletrack, Shands, Springston-Rolleston, Waterholes and Weedons roads, and on sections of Goulds and Leeston roads
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
