Speed limit to lower at Motutere

Motutere Bay TOP 10 Holiday Park manager Julia Hitchcock stands at the main entrance to the park. Photo: Dan Hutchinson

The speed limit on State Highway 1 at Motutere will be lowered following public consultation.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says there were 751 submissions on the proposal to lower the speed limit at Motutere, with more than 90% in favour of the reduced 60km/h limit.

The new speed limit will be in place before Christmas said NZTA Director Regional Relationships for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Andrew Corkill.

It will apply to the stretch of road about 425 metres either side of the entrance to the Motutere TOP 10 Holiday Park, which is currently 100 km/h.

The Motutere Bay village and Holiday Park is split in half by State Highway 1, with guests having to cross the busy highway to get to the water’s edge.

Thanks to a change in Government policy, a previous lowering of the speed limit to 60km/h was reversed in May this year, along with many other speed limit changes brought in by the previous Government.

After receiving “considerable community feedback”, including through a formal consultation process, NZTA is now set to make several changes to the speed limits on short sections of both State Highway 1 in Motutere, Lake Taupō and SH25 in Coromandel Peninsula before Christmas. 

“The new speed limits in all areas will be implemented in the next few days, before Christmas,” Corkill said on December 11.

“The communities were very keen to see the lower speeds in place quickly before the peak summer holiday season arrives, and we were able to give these reviews priority to make this happen.” 

The speed limit changes have been certified by the Director of Land Transport and follows six weeks of public consultation with partners, stakeholders and the community from August to October this year.

The enforcement of the new speed limits will become legal once the new signage is in place.