School welcomes slower speed limit

Tinwald School pupils at the Graham St pedestrian crossing. PHOTO: JONATHAN LEASK/LDR

By Jonathan Leask of LDR

A Canterbury school principal is pleased a 30km/h variable speed zone will still be in place when children return from the term break.

The Ashburton District Council will extend the 30km/h variable speed limit zone outside Tinwald School to include Graham St from the start of term 2, which means traffic must travel at 30km/h at the beginning and end of the school day from April 28.

Principal Peter Livingstone said the change is something the school board had requested from the council and he was pleased to see the change being made.

“Children are unpredictable so anything around road safety and children where we go conservative is very welcome.”

Last year representatives from the board went to the council to raise safety concerns about the volume of traffic that travels on Graham St at the pedestrian crossing that leads to the school, which hadn’t been included in the school speed zone.

“It is heavily utilised by our students, both morning and after school,” Livingstone said.

Shortly after the request, district council roading manager Mark Chamberlain explained that Graham St was not initially included in the council’s school speed zones because there is no access to the Tinwald School off the street.

Shortly after the request, district council roading manager Mark Chamberlain explained that Graham St was not initially included in the council’s school speed zones because there is no access to the Tinwald School off the street.

The council agreed to consider the change as part of its review of the school speed zones, which followed the Government introducing the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024.

Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said the new rule allows for static signs to be used to display the day and time the speed limit applied, rather than the previous requirement to have electronic signs.

McCann said the rule also allowed the council to apply practical modifications to the school zone.

“With the pedestrian crossing on Graham Street and the number of students using it to get to school, council applied for the change and it has now been made to the National Speed Limit Register.

“We think this is a positive outcome for the school and that stretch of road will be much safer for the whole school community, while having only a small effect on traffic.”

Signs marking the extended school zone will be up by April 28, McCann said.

Livingstone said the school still has concerns with Graham Street looking ahead to a potential increase in traffic volumes from Ashburton's second bridge.

“It’s always been in the back of our minds the new bridge, it is going to connect to Graham Street.

“I would like to see the 50km/h limit extended out further, so the speed of the traffic approaching the school has slowed when it comes to the 30km/h zone.”

Grahams Road is 80kph where the new bridge road is planned to connect, with a roundabout to be added, and then goes down to 50km/h at the edge of the Ashbury Grove Subdivision around 300m away from the pedestrian crossing (with Grahams Road becoming Graham Street at the intersection with Grove Street).

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.