Children’s safety is being preferred to avoiding driver frustration and doubling a budget for speed reductions around schools in Mid Canterbury.
Next year the Ashburton District Council will introduce 30kph speed limits at every primary school in the district.
Variable 30kph speed limits will be introduced to all rural schools, and permanent 30kph limits will be introduced at urban schools.
Councillors had signalled a desire for all the school speed zones to have variable speed signs, but that blew the costs out to $1.25m – with an existing budget of $600,000.
Councillor Russell Ellis was quick to deliver a reminder to his colleagues about their recent election campaigns.
“We all campaigned on being budget conscious, and now suddenly for this, people want to spend an extra $700,000 for something that isn’t being recommended.”
Ellis said people will get into the habit of the new speed limits in the urban areas.
“We are talking a maximum 400m strip, it might take you an extra 25 seconds to drive that strip. That’s is your inconvenience.”
Councillor Richard Wilson said the cost was a big factor, and the change from 50kph down to 30kph is not great.
“It’s a built-up urban environment and 30kph is where it’s going in those environments.”
Councillor Tony Todd preferred not to frustrate motorists with a permanent reduction, and supported variable speed limits – even if it doubles the budget.
Todd asked if, with a change in budget, could the council seek further funding from Waka Kotahi, to which chief executive Hamish Riach said it could, but gave it no chance of being granted, as the funding category had already been severely reduced.
Roading manager Mark Chamberlain said the school zones could be changed from permanent to variable in future when more funding became available.
Chamberlain also said the “speed limit itself probably isn’t going to change how people drive that much” and it was about consistency.
“We should be able to know that past a primary school, no matter where you are in the country, it’s a 30kph speed limit.”
Eastern Ward councillors, Lynette Lovett and Wilson, had also pushed for the rural variable speed zones to be 60kph, but were out-voted.
Lovett suggested starting at 60kph and reviewing it rather than the immediate “drastic 30kph” change.
Mayor Neil Brown said it shouldn’t matter where a school is, “a child is a child” and there is no difference where they go to school.
It was also noted that Waka Kotahi, through its interim speed management plan, is also proposing a 30kph variable speed limit on State Highway 77 outside Ashburton Borough and in Methven in front of the three schools.

• By Jonathan Leask