John MacDonald: Do we even need speed limits around the new stadium?

There’s a danger that when the new stadium opens in Christchurch next year, we'll have no idea exactly what speed we should be going when we drive around the area.   At the moment, the council wants it to be 30kph on Madras Street, Tuam Street, Lichfield Street, Duke Street, Hereford Street and St Asaph Street.   But now it’s being told by the Government that it can’t do that, and I think they should just make it 50kph. I’ll explain why shortly.    There are also parts where the council wants the limit to be 10kph on Lichfield Street between Madras and Manchester. Apparently, the council believes that that can stay based on the design of the street and expected traffic volumes.   If we wind back the clock, 2023 was when the council consulted us on the 30kph limit and, apparently, it got the tick from people and so that’s been the plan ever since.   But between then and now, the Government’s got involved because it’s not into all these reduced speed limits that popped up under the last government.   Which means the council has been told that it needs to drop the 30kph speed limit idea and the speed limit around the stadium needs to be at least 40kph. And the council being the council, has to go and do a whole new round of consultation.   Which has central city councillor Jake McLellan saying that it’s nothing but a waste of time and money. He says the council should be left to decide for itself what speed limit it wants around the stadium. Or anywhere for that matter.   And I’m with him on that bit. Of course it should. Except I want the council to set a 50kph, for the simple reason that if the traffic is crawling, we will all crawl.   When everyone is trying to get to or around the stadium when there’s a big event on, the speed limit could be 100kph, but we’d all still be going about 20 or 30 or even 10kph.   Which is why I think most people, if they were asked, would say there should be no special speed limit and it should just be 50.   Because I think it’s simple really. If there’s an event on where there are truckloads of people making their way to the stadium, traffic will be at a standstill anyway. Or there’ll be roads completely closed off.   There are no speed limits around the Apollo Projects Stadium – or the “temporary” stadium, as it’s also known.   I know that it’s not right on the street, like the new one in town will be, but when there’s a match on there or a concert or whatever, the traffic is what it is. Just like it will be when the new one is up and running. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.