Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has set permanent new speed limits on State Highway 6 (SH6) Hope to Wakefield in the Tasman region.
Each day around 11,500 vehicles travel between Hope and Brightwater, and 8,500 travel between Brightwater and Wakefield. With further developments, traffic is expected to increase.
Between 2009 and 2018 there were a total of 98 crashes, including 17 serious crashes, on this section of SH6.Three people were killed and 18 people were left seriously injured.
Most crashes are caused by a number of factors. But even when it’s not the primary cause of a crash, speed is most likely to determine whether anyone is killed, injured or walks away unharmed.
We have completed engagement and formal consultation on speed limit changes between Hope and Wakefield.
Based on the feedback we have received during engagement and consultation, the following speeds have been set as the new permanent speed limits. They take effect from Friday 30 July 2021.
| Location | Current speed limit (km/h) |
New permanent speed limit (km/h) from 30 July 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Hope Township. Existing 70km/h area, from approximately 320m south west of Norman Andrews Place to approximately 800m south west of Ranzau Road East. | 70 | 60 |
| Hope to Brightwater. Existing 100km/h area, from approximately 800m south west of Ranzau Road East to approximately 300m south west of Clover Road West. | 100 | 80 |
| Brightwater Township. Existing 80km/h area, from approximately 300 south west of Clover Road West to approximately 380m south west of Ellis Street. | 80 | NO CHANGE |
| Brightwater to Wakefield North. Existing 100km/h area, from approximately 380m south west of Ellis Street to approximately 440m north east of Bird Lane. | 100 | 80 |
| Wakefield North. Existing 70km/h area, from approximately 440m north east of Bird Lane to approximately 310m north east of Franklyn Close. | 70 | 60 |
View larger image [PDF, 371 KB]
When determining the proposed speed limits that we consulted on, we reviewed the speeds that people are currently driving on this road, as well as the road itself. The speed limits in the above table were assessed to be the safe and appropriate speeds for the road.
Find out more about the SH6 Hope to Wakefield permanent speed limits by reading the frequently asked questions.
On 16 November 2020, Waka Kotahi started formal consultation on proposed new speed limits for SH6 Hope to Wakefield. Consultation was open for four weeks and closed on 18 December 2020.
During consultation we received 236 submissions. We appreciated the response from the community and thank all those who provided their feedback.
The submissions did not identify any issues that Waka Kotahi had not already considered.
Please click on the links below to view the consultation and engagement documents:
Consultation summary report [PDF, 570 KB]
Consultation submissions [PDF, 21 MB]
Engagement summary report [PDF, 135 KB]
More information about speed and the speed review process is available on the ‘Speed Review Programme’ webpage.
