Auckland Transport’s (AT) decision to reduce speed limits on more than 1600 roads around Auckland, including many busy arterial roads, will only make the city’s traffic woes worse, without providing any real benefit, National’s Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“Congestion issues in Auckland have long hindered the ability of people to get around and get things done, costing the city’s economy around $1.3 billion a year and having a major impact on our productivity.

“Despite what AT claims, reducing speeds in this manner isn’t going to improve safety to a significant degree. They are quick to boast that the number of accidents declined after their last round of speed limit changes in 2020, but conveniently fail to account for significantly lower overall traffic numbers as a result of Covid-19 restrictions that year.

“Speed limit reductions should be focused on high-risk areas and roads, and there is little evidence to suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach like this will make any real difference.

“The reality is that speed is just one factor when it comes to traffic accidents, and things like driver inattention or inexperience and poor road maintenance are just as significant.

“National supports temporary speed limit reductions around schools during pick up and drop off times, but blanket responses like this simply just slow people down.

“We know these speed limit reductions are being forced onto local Road Controlling Authorities by a Labour Government intent on slowing people down, without making the investment needed to give people other options.”