Kiwis say no to lower speed limits

“Documents from Waka Kotahi show that Kiwis don’t support having speed limits cut to a crawl. The Government should just end its war on cars,” says ACT’s Transport spokesperson Simon Court.

“The Waka Kotahi Road to Zero Social Licence Monitor and Ad Diagnostic report shows that less than a third of respondents supported lower speed limits, 40 per cent were either opposed or strongly opposed.

“Lowering speed limits causes immense frustration for motorists and reduces productivity. Rather than look at opportunities to improve the efficiency of the road network, Labour is slowing down the movement of freight and people.

“It doesn’t need to be this way. The Waikato Expressway is a great example of a road that supports a thriving economy and healthy communities. Safe, efficient and with a 110km/h speed environment.

“Whether it’s getting kids to sport practice, getting to work, trucks delivering goods or tradies getting to jobs, people want to be able to move around quickly.

“ACT has a petition for people who actually have places to be and stuff to do, it has already received more than 10,000 signatures.

“ACT supports moves to lower the road toll – but that comes from better roading infrastructure, not slowing people down, causing frustration and putting further restrictions on businesses who have put up with enough under this Government.

“Increasing the level of private sector funding will inject much-needed discipline into decision-making while allowing the Government to maintain prudent levels of public debt.

“Between 2007 and 2017, more than NZ$300bn was raised by funds globally to invest in infrastructure. Most of that capital was raised from insurance companies, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds (including our own New Zealand Super Fund) looking for long-term investments with reasonable returns.

“ACT will keep standing up for Kiwis who have places to be and stuff to do. We need the country to grow, not go slow.”

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