In the 30 km/h vs 50 km/h debate raging through Simeon Brown’s and now Chris Bishop’s terms as Transport Minister, the arguments have centred around speed vs safety. If you haven’t been following the fight, here’s where we’re at. Survivable speeds of 30 km/h are in the process of being increased on well over a thousand local streets across the Auckland region. They are also happening across Aotearoa. In a cruel twist, roads near schools that schoolkids travel down are especially likely to get the increases.
The safety aspect is particularly relevant for people on bikes. We are vulnerable in a crash. Crashes are more likely to happen at 50 km/h, and (much) more deadly when they do.
But safety isn’t the only reason for people on bikes to worry about speed limit changes. I’d argue it’s not even the main reason. It’s about our climate future.
The reason these changes are very bad news is because calmer, slower streets are a fast, easy, cheap, guaranteed way of getting more people walking, scooting and cycling.
And getting people using active modes is, in turn, the number one, easiest, cheapest, best way of cutting Auckland’s emissions. So much so that without significant modeshift, we’re unlikely to meet our regional climate goals.
Sign the Open Letter to Save Our Safe Speeds Now
You may feel that you are a safe driver at 50km/h, but consider this. Kids make mistakes. When speeds are higher, parents don’t let kids cycle. Justifiably so. No matter how well parents and schools drill kids on road safety, they get distracted and make decisions that can lead to accidents.
They aren’t the only ones making mistakes. Our road toll is one of the highest in the OECD, proportionally speaking. The facts show that the reasons for crashes aren’t usually bad drivers doing bad things, they are ordinary people making mistakes in less than ideal conditions. Those mistakes aren’t going away. We’re human, after all. What can go away though, is the fatal impact. A small reduction in speed from 50km/h to 30km/h leads to a massive reduction in how deadly crashes are. Around 2 in 10 survive at 50 km/h, while around 9 in 10 survive at 30 km/h.
With the barrier of a fast road in their way, people who are new to bikes, or less confident on them, don’t feel safe to give it a go and grow their skills. Frustratingly, people in this want-to-try group often have a relatively short stretch of fast road which is stopping them from reaching the nearest protected cycleway or greenway to get moving.
On the flip side, slow quiet streets welcome people to give active modes of transport a try. As our Chief Biking Officer, Fiáin d’Leafy, puts it:
“30 is this magical number. It not only makes streets significantly safer, it makes the traffic noise quieter which makes the street feel more pleasant and attractive to walk and ride a bike. It feels safer so people start to walk and cycle more.”
In 2023, Auckland Transport’s Residential Speed Management programme tested the impact of safe speeds in four areas. The safer speeds were not only well-received, but residents were more likely to use active modes of transport. The increase was as much as 44% in one of the four suburbs. It’s a compelling finding. Who are we really increasing speeds for, if those who live on the streets prefer them calmer?
Can you imagine how Auckland would be if every suburb had 44% of residents using active modes more often? More of us would know our neighbours’ smiles, and feel part of our community. We’d stay healthier for longer.
More importantly, we’d know we were doing our part in limiting the impact of climate change for our children and grandchildren, and all the other life around us.
I, for one, can get behind that vision.
