Common sense wins again

Simeon Brown announced:

Cabinet has agreed on the coalition Government’s direction of travel for a new Land Transport Rule to be signed by the end of 2024. This new rule will reverse the previous government’s blanket speed reductions imposed on motorists across New Zealand, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.

“The new rule will ensure that when speed limits are set, economic impacts – including travel times – and the views of road users and local communities are taken into account, alongside safety.

“The previous government’s untargeted approach resulted in blanket speed limit reductions across the country, rather than targeting high crash areas of the network. The new Rule will lead to blanket speed limit reductions being reversed by the end of next year, except where it is unsafe.

The new approach is basically just common sense. It’s amazing how many of the former Government’s policies were just ideology gone mad. Taking into account travel times, community views as well as safety is a balanced approach. Otherwise we’d just have a maximum 30 km/hr limit on all roads.