Monday, July 13, 2020
Since Sept 27, 1879
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
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SCHOOLS TAKE PRIORITY IN ROAD SPEED REVIEW
By Sue Newman
sue.n@theguardian.co.nz
They may not get the top-shelf option, but schools around the Ashburton District will be celebrating road safety improvements that will be put in place outside their front gates. When submissions were lodged on the Ashburton District’s proposed speed limit review, there were a number of requests from school communities for the council to take a tough line on speed limits around schools. While these were not included in the original proposal, the weight of public
support for change has seen the council agree that change was needed. More than 250 people submitted on the speed limit changes proposed and 14 opted to speak at a submissions hearing. At Thursday’s infrastructure services committee meeting they agreed to develop school zone speed limits, setting these at 60km/h outside rural schools and 40km/h outside urban schools. The siting of signs will be discussed with individual schools. When it comes to those signs, councillors looked at options ranging from basic speed limit signs that would come with a total
cost of $120,000 through to the top version of active variable signs that came with a price tag of $1.4 million. Those signs would include flashing lights, display a speed limit and carry the words school zone. The basic speed limit sign would mean speeds outside a school would be reduced at all times of the day and week, irrespective of whether children were around or not. Active static signs show the area is a school zone, the speed limit and the hours the speed applies. The active variable signs would be switched on before and after school by a staff member and would be il-
luminated, making it very clear to motorists they were approaching a school zone. Schools currently had a range of signs and councillor Stuart Wilson suggested using these to create a hybrid version could work. If a speed limit sign could be adapted and fixed in place under the flashing sign, this could achieve close to the same outcome as the active variable sign, but at a much lower cost, he said.
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