UPDATE: Taupo District Council's Speed Limit Bylaw 2018 was revoked in September 2022.
On 19 May 2022, The Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 came into legislation. This forms
part of Waka Kotahi’s Road to Zero 2020-2030 road safety strategy, which supports their vision that no one
dies or is seriously injured in road crashes on New Zealand roads.
Under the former rule, a bylaw was the legal mechanism for speed limit changes. The new rule provides a
new process, the National Speed Limit Register (NSLR), as the legal mechanism for speed limit changes
and control on roads, removing the requirement to set speed limits through council bylaws.
Taupō District Council's new speed bylaw comes into force from Saturday, December 1 and there will be changes to several speed limits in our district.
Infrastructure manager Denis Lewis said the changes were being made to roads that had been identified as high risk or that the community had raised concerns about. "The majority of the changes involve speed limit reductions," he said. "So be sure to pay attention to speed limit signs to make sure you are within the limits. These changes are being put in place to make our roads safer for all of us, so play your part and keep to the appropriate speed."
In Taupō, Tauhara Rd has been reduced from 70km/h to 50km/h between Rifle Range Road and Miro Street. Between the Airport roundabout and Rainbow Drive, Lake Terrace has been reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h, and between Rainbow Drive and Hawai Street Lake Terrace has been reduced from 70km/h to 50km/h. There is now no holiday speed limit on Lake Terrace.
The existing 60km/h zone at Centennial Drive has been extended to Owen Delany Drive, and Napier Rd has been changed from 100km/h to 80km/h between the roundabout and De Brett's, and from 80km/h to 50km/h between De Brett's and Lake Terrace. At Crown Rd the 50km/h zone has been extended, and becomes 80km/h at the Napier Road end. The 80km/h section of Kiddle Drive has been reduced to 50km/h.
In Western Bays, the 70km/h zone on Omori Road has been reduced to 50km/h and the 100km/h zone to 60 km/h. Pukawa Road has also been reduced from 100km/h to 60km/h.
In Mangakino, Lake Road and Rangatira Drive have been changed from 100km/h to 80km/h and the existing Lake Road 50km/h zone has been extended towards Waipapa Rd.
In Kinloch, the existing 50km/h has been extended towards Whangamata Rd, and Rapids Road in Aratiatia has been changed from 100km/h to 80km/h.
In Acacia Bay the existing 50km/h zone has been extended on Wakeman Rd and the Acacia Bay Straight has been reduced to 80km. On Poihipi Rd, from Wairakei Dr to the existing 80 km/h sign speed has been reduced to 50 km/h, and from the existing 80km/h sign to Tukairangi Rd it has been reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h.
Wairakei Drive has been reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h, and Huka Falls Road, Huka Falls Loop Road, Clearwater Lane and Ferndale Way have been changed from 80km/h to 50km/h, while Karetoto Road has been reduced to 50km/h.
