Letter to the Minister from Freemans Bay Principal Cindy Walsh (shared with permission).
20th March 2025
To Minister of Transport, Chris Bishop
Cc AT Board Chair, Richard Leggat
AT CEO Dean Kimpton
Mayor Wayne Brown
Ward Councillor Mike Lee
Waitematā Local Board Chair, Gen Sage Central Auckland MP, Chloe Swarbrick
Speed Reversals Freemans Bay
Tēnā koe Minister Bishop,
I write on behalf of the Freemans Bay School community to raise serious concerns regarding the impending blanket reversal of safe speeds. Not only does this run counter to the evidence that safe speeds keep our tamariki safe, and counter to supportive feedback from our community, it is happening without any opportunity for community consultation on the local impact.
We implore you as Minister to urgently grant Auckland Transport the discretion to consider the level of public support and the wider benefits to the Freemans Bay community, before any reversals proceed. We also ask that Auckland Council and Auckland Transport’s leadership share with you the positive results of their safe speeds programme so far. This is a successful programme that not only saves lives and reduces harm, it also empowers tamariki to get to school and around their neighbourhoods in healthy ways.
Since 2022 the immediate neighbourhood surrounding the school has enjoyed a safe speed zone. The wider catchment including the city centre has been a safe speed zone since 2020. We understand that Auckland Transport’s phase 2 consultation found strong support for safe speeds in Freemans Bay and it was also supported by the Waitematā Local Board. As a result of the safe speed zone covering the school’s catchment, we have seen an increase in our students walking, cycling and wheeling to school. Our students have led the way promoting road safety for Auckland Transport. Every student who’s able to independently get to school without a car trip is a win for our community. This reduces congestion in our neighbourhood and around the school, contributes to improved air quality and saves precious hours of productive time for parents and caregivers every day. It also gives children a healthy and happy start to the day.
As Minister you should be aware that if reversals go ahead in Freemans Bay, it will create dangerous outcomes for our tamariki. Last year I was witness to one of our student’s being struck by a car outside the school, outside of drop off and pick up times. The car was travelling at the required speed limit of 30km/h. The student was taken to hospital with moderate injuries and shock and was discharged the day after. If the car was travelling at 50km/hr (proposed speed outside the school) he would have received serious injury or even death.
The proposed variable speed zone will apply only in the short window of drop-off and pick-up times however, half of the suburb to the west of Franklin Road will remain a safe speed zone. This means a driver coming from some directions will experience permanent 30km/h speed limits (e.g. Franklin Rd, Napier St), but as you get close to the school, the permanent speed limit will increase to 50km/h and then drop again to 30km/h 300m past the school (eg towards the city centre). This is completely inadequate to keep the school community safe as it will result in confusion for drivers and for our students. We understand that 86 per cent of Aucklanders surveyed supported safe speeds around schools and kindergartens and 78 percent of school leaders in Auckland supported permanent 24/7 safe speed zones around schools in Auckland Transport’s Phase 2 consultation. Also, we find it alarming that 85 percent of Deaths and Serious Injuries (DSI) outside schools occur outside the operating times of variable speed limits.
We see from AT’s communications that over 1500 streets will be affected across the city. We also know that across Auckland, children and young people are disproportionately affected by traffic danger. The unconscionable harm to the children of Freemans Bay will be multiplied in neighbourhoods across Tāmaki Makaurau by this blunt approach, which is very hard to accept.
As Minister – and this applies as well to those who govern AT and who are our elected representatives – you have a powerful role to play in exercising wisdom at moments like this. We ask you to work with our city’s leaders to arrive at a more nuanced and humane approach.
We thank you for your urgent attention to this matter so that public consultation can go ahead and we can rely on the Freemans Bay safe speeds in our travel planning to keep our students safe.
Yours sincerely,
Cindy Walsh
Freemans Bay School Principal
