Pursuant to clause 5.2(1) of the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017 and a delegation from the NZ Transport Agency, I, Glenn Bunting, Manager Network Safety, give approval to set the speed limit described in clauses 1 to 3 under the conditions set out in clauses 4 to 9 of this notice.

1. Approval of variable speed limit

The New Zealand Transport Agency, System Design and Delivery Group (as the road controlling authority) may set a variable speed limit on the sections of State highway specified in clause 2 of this notice.

2. Sections of State highway

The variable speed limit may be set for the following sections of State highway:

1. State Highway 16, Auckland, from a point 100 metres east of the Bond Street overbridge to 880 metres west of the eastern abutment of the Rosebank Bridges, including all on-ramps and off-ramps connected to this section of State highway; and
2. State Highway 20, Auckland, from a point 30 metres south of the Dominion Road overbridge to the northern end of State Highway 20 at the Great North Road Interchange, including all on-ramps and off-ramps connected to this section of State highway; and
3. all ramps connecting State Highway 16 and State Highway 20.

3. Range of variable speed limit

1. The variable speed limit that applies at any time on the sections of State highway described in clause 2, excluding the sections described in clause 3(b), may be a speed limit of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 100 km/h, with 70 km/h reserved for temporary traffic management only; and
2. The variable speed limit that applies at any time within the Waterview tunnels and on the ramps connecting State Highway 16 and State Highway 20, may be a speed limit of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 km/h, with 70 km/h reserved for temporary traffic management only.

4. Varying the speed limit

The speed limit may be varied to manage the safe flow of traffic as required for:

1. changing traffic volumes and to ease congestion; and
2. emergency or temporary traffic management; and
3. changing environmental conditions.

5. Signs

Speed limit signs that comply with the Land Transport Rule: Traffic Control Devices 2004 must be installed to identify a length of road subject to the variable speed limit as follows:

1. except where Condition 5(b) applies, at least two “Variable speed” (R1-2.1, Option B) signs at the beginning of a length of road to which the variable speed limit applies, facing road users travelling towards the variable speed limit; and
2. on single lane on-ramps, at least one “Variable speed” (R1-2.1, Option B) sign at the beginning of the length of road to which the variable speed limit applies, facing road users travelling towards the variable speed limit; and
3. at least two “Variable speed” (R1-2.1, Option B) repeater signs installed at each location with a spacing of no more than 1.5 km between variable speed limit sign locations, for each length of road to which the variable speed limit applies; and
4. two “Standard” (R1-1) or “100 km/h” (R1-1.1) speed limit signs at the end of a section of road to which a variable speed limit applies, facing road users leaving the variable speed limit and showing the permanent speed limit that applies to the road beyond that point.

6. Speed limit may apply to part of the road

The speed limit that applies at any time may apply to:

1. all of the sections of State Highways 16 and 20 described in clause 2 of this notice; or
2. any length of road within the sections of State Highways 16 and 20 described in clause 2 of this notice, bounded by the location of the speed limit signs; or
3. individual lanes, as indicated on the signs, if a sign is installed above each lane.

7. Speed limit displayed on signs

The speed limit that applies to a length of road or to an individual lane at any time must be displayed on the variable speed limit signs within that length of road or above that lane.

8. Recording changes in speed limit

Records must be kept to show the actual speed limit that applied to any length of road or to an individual lane at any time. The records must be available for public inspection and include the time the speed limit changed, the date, the speed limit and a description of the beginning and end points of the length of road or the individual lane to which the speed limit applied.

9. Managed motorway

The approval for variable speed limits described in this notice is subject to the commitment of the NZ Transport Agency, System Design and Delivery Group, to develop the operation of the sections of motorway described in clause 2 as part of an integrated, managed motorway system.

10. Bylaw

The NZ Transport Agency, System Design and Delivery Group, must set the variable speed limit by making a bylaw in accordance with the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017.

11. Revocation and saving

1. The notice entitled “Variable Speed Limits – State Highways 16 and 20, Waterview Tunnels and Great North Road Interchange”, published in the New Zealand Gazette, 3 March 2016, Issue No. 19, Notice No. 2016-au1212, is revoked.
2. The variable speed limit on State Highways 16 and 20, which was set by the “New Zealand Transport Agency (Speed Limits on State Highways) Amendment Bylaw 2017/2”, published in the New Zealand Gazette, 30 March 2017, Issue No. 35, Notice No. 2017-au1436, is deemed to have been set in accordance with this notice and remains in force until amended in accordance with the provisions of this notice and the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2017.

Signed at Wellington this 19th day of December 2017.

GLENN BUNTING, Manager Network Safety, NZ Transport Agency.