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. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
You know, I reckon, I reckon. There's a danger that
when the new stadium opens in christ Church next year,
it's a danger that most of us will have no
idea exactly what speed limit we should be going when
we drive around the area, we drive past the stadium.
They have no idea At the moment. The council wants
it to be thirty k's on Madras Street, Chilm Street,

(00:35):
Litchfield Street, Duke Street, Hereford Street and Sassa Street, not
the full length of all of those streets, but just
picture the area around the stadium, the blocks around the
stadium area thirty case. But now it's been told by
the government that it can't do that and it has

(00:55):
to be at least forty ks on those streets. But
I'm saying today, just make it. Just make it fifty.
Don't buck around with forty. Make it fifty. I'll explain
why she'll There are also parts where the council wants
to have a limit of ten k's per hour, which
I think is virtually impossible, isn't it. In fact, when

(01:17):
the Council first announced that ten k but you might
remember this, but I remember it. We had a call
from someone saying they were trying to drive their vehicle
at ten k's per hour and from memory, they couldn't
do it impossible. And the ten k limit they're talking
about supposed to be on Lichfield Street between Madras and
Manchester apparently, and the Council believes that that bit can

(01:41):
stay because of the design of the street and expected
traffic volumes. Now let's work out where this all started.
Let's wind the clock back to twenty twenty three, and
that was when the Council consulted us on the thirty
k limit and apparently got the tick of approval from people.
And that's been the plan ever since. But between then
and now, what's happened as the government's got involved, because

(02:04):
it's not into all these reduced speed limits that popped
up under the last government. We all all know about that,
you know, speed limits or highways going up, all of that.
But what that means is that the Council's being told
that it needs to drop the thirty k speed limit
idea around the stadium and it has to be at
least forty ks and the council being the council, what's

(02:25):
it doing. It's going to have a whole new round
of consultation. That's despite this thing being consulted on and
signed off by the Council in twenty three, so a
couple of years ago, and I gathered three other projects
on Antigua Street, Worcester Street and the Northwest Dark Cycle
Way are also potentially affected, but there won't be if
the Council approves fifty K speed limits for those areas,

(02:49):
which is what I'm saying needs to happen around the stadium.
So it's been forced to do this consultation and it's
got Central City Councilor Jake McClellan saying today that this
is nothing but a waste of time and money. It
says the council should be left to decide for itself
what speed limit it wants around the stadium or anywhere
for that matter. When I'm with them on that, of
course it should, except I want the Council to set

(03:11):
a fifty K limit for the simple reason that if
the traffic is crawling, we will all crawl when you
and I are trying to get to the stadium, or
when we're trying to get around the stadium when there's
a big event on. You know, they could have signed
up saying speed limit one hundred case, but we would
still all be going about twenty or thirty or even
fifteen or ten. Which is why I reckon most people

(03:33):
if they were asked right now, I think most people
would say there should be no special speed limit, should
just be fifty. Well, you tell me if I'm right
or wrong on that, because it's simple. There will be
truckloads of people making the weight of the stadium. Traffic
will be at a standstill. In fact, you might have
heard a call we had the other day when we
were talking about getting more rail services here in Canterbury,

(03:55):
and the caller was predicting that it's going to be
a nightmare around the stadium with all the traffic. And
it will be, which is why I don't think the
council needs to worry about special speed limits. There are
no speed limits or no special speed limits around the
Apollo Projects Stadium, are there, or the temporary stadium as
it's also known. And I know that it's not right
on the street like the new one in town. But

(04:16):
when there's a match on or when there's a console
or whatever. The traffic is what it is, and if
the congestion means we can't drive at fifty k's, we don't.
And that's how I think it should be. Around the
new stadium in town as well.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
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