Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency reviewed speed limits on State Highway 1 in Winchester, South Canterbury to ensure they are safe and appropriate for the road. We have now set a new permanent speed limit for State Highway 1 Winchester.
We talked to the community, council, local businesses and others about making the highway on the north side of Winchester safer. Some members of the community have mentioned that speeds in this area felt too high to be safe.
Winchester had a 50km/h zone through most of the township, but it did not incorporate all of the residential area. The residential and business driveways as well as an intersection on the northern end of Winchester were on a section of road with a 100km/h speed limit. The safe and appropriate speed for the northern end of Winchester is 50km/hr.
In the last ten years (2009-2018), there have been 15 crashes in the area. This has resulted in five people receiving minor injuries.
The following speed limit was proposed during consultation and has been set as the new permanent speed limit in Winchester. The new permanent speed limit takes effect from 30 October 2020.
| Location | Current speed limit | New speed limit from 30 October 2020 |
| Extend the existing 50km/h speed limit on the north end of Winchester a further 190m. The new 50km/h limit will start 140m north of North Street. | 100km/h | 50km/h |
When determining the proposed speed limit that we consulted on, we reviewed the speeds that people are currently driving on this road, as well as the road itself. The speed limit of 50km/h was assessed to be the safe and appropriate speed limit for this road.
In the last ten years (2009-2018), there have been 15 crashes in the area. This has resulted in five people receiving minor injuries.
The new permanent speed limit will have minimal impact on travel times. Over the 190-metre distance, the increase in travel time will be approximately 14 seconds.
Find out more about the Winchester permanent speed limits by reading the frequently asked questions.
Waka Kotahi consulted on the speeds on SH1 Winchester between 7 October and 4 November 2019. You can view the submissions and a summary of the consultation here:
More information about speed and the speed review process is available on the Speed management webpage.
