John MacDonald: What's so wrong with slower traffic outside schools?

If I say to you “30 kph speed limit area”, chances are you can think of one. I can think of one straight away - on the southern end of Colombo Street in Christchurch.

You’re cruising along at 50 kph and then —bang— it drops down to 30. No schools on that stretch of Colombo.

There’s a school on one of the side streets, but it goes down to 30 —and it’s permanent— and then it’s back up to 50 by the time you get up to Thorrington School. Where you would think there would be a 30 kph limit.

Someone was telling me this morning about another one like that on Gloucester Street between Linwood Ave and Woodham Road. Again – no schools, no kindys, but still 30 kph. All the time.

So there are two examples where I think the Government’s doing the right thing getting rid of these 24/7 30 kph zones. But I think it’s going too far, because I actually think there is a place for them.

And this is what’s covered in these guidelines for local councils, because it’s the local councils that are responsible for all the signage in their areas.

So the Government is going to ditch the permanent 30 kph zones but the speed limit around schools will be allowed to drop down to 30 kph, but only during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times, and I reckon that will be a complete waste of time and effort.

Not to mention money, either. Because if there isn’t already one of those flashing signs outside a school which can show different speed limits at different times, then one of those is going to have to be installed, as well.

But I don’t give two hoots about the money side of it.

What bothers me is the fact that if we have different speed limits outside schools at different times of the day, you know what’s going to happen, don’t you?

Drivers are just going to go 50 kph all the time. And why’s that? They’ll go 50 all the time because they are creatures of habit. We’re all creatures of habit.

And, if we’re told that we can drive 50 kph past a school pretty much 23-hours-a-day - then that’s what we’ll do during the 60 minutes when these 30 kph limits will supposedly be in place.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, that doesn’t stack up because most of the time when kids are arriving at school and leaving for the day, traffic is close to a standstill because of all the parents who insist they have to drive right up to the gate to pick up their kids.

And you might be right in some cases, but from what I see, that is for a very short window of time.

If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t need the kids out there in the mornings and the afternoons doing the lollipop patrols, would we?

But we do have them, because most drivers are bozos. I’m a bozo. You’re a bozo. I’ll put my hand up right now and admit that I’ve driven past school crossings sometimes in ways that, afterwards, I’ve felt terrible about.

And generally, it’s all about speed.

I was reading some comments by the head of the Board of Trustees at Linwood Ave School. She was saying that returning speed limits back to 50 kph is going to be a backwards step, and I agree with her.

I gather the speed limit outside Linwood Ave School went down to 30 kph earlier this year. She was saying it hasn’t necessarily slowed-down traffic, but she sees it as a start.

And that’s a key thing here too. It can take as long as seven years to change behaviours, which says to me that we need to give these permanent 30 kph speed limits outside schools more time to bed in.

Just because the traffic isn’t any slower today outside Linwood Ave School, for example, than it was before the permanent speed limit went down - that doesn’t mean it’s failed. That doesn’t mean it should be done away with. It just means we need to give it more time.

Because I bet you that if the Government stuck with it, we would see people driving slower around schools - eventually. And what would be wrong with that?

There'd be nothing wrong with that.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
If I was to say to you thirty K speed
limit area, chances are you could think of one. I
can think of one straight away on the southern end
of Columbus Street in Christchurch. You know, your cruise in
along at fifty k's and then bang drops down to thirty.
No schools around here, no Kendy's around here. There's a

(00:35):
school on one of the side streets, but this bit
of a Columbu goes down to thirty and it's a
permanent thirty kse night, day, whatever, whenever. And then it's
back up to fifty by the time you get up
to Thorenton School, where you would think there would be
a thirty K limit. Someone here was telling me this
morning about another one like that on Glossters Street between

(00:56):
Lynnwood Ave and Woodham Road. Again no schools, no Kendys,
but still thirty k's, night, day, whenever, whatever, all the time.
So these are two examples where I think the government
is doing the right thing getting rid of these twenty
four to seven thirty k zones. But I reckon it's
going too far because I actually think there is a

(01:19):
place for them. I think the government's making a serious,
serious mistake. And this is what's going to be covered
in these guidelines that are coming up today, which are guidelines.
There are guidelines for local councils, because it's the local
councils that are responsible for all the road or speed
signage in their areas. So the government's going to ditch
the permanent thirty k zones, but the speed limit around

(01:44):
schools will be allowed to drop down to thirty k's
only though during morning drop off and afternoon pickup times,
and I reckon that will be a complete waste of
time and a complete waste of effort. Not to mention
money either, because if there isn't already one of those
flashing signs outside of school which shows different speed limits

(02:04):
or is capable of showing different space limits at different times,
then one of those is going to have to be
installed as well. But I don't give two hurts about
the money side of it. I don't give a damn
about the money side of it. What bothers me is
the fact, and this is a fact, by the way,
because this is what will happen. Trust me. What bothers

(02:24):
me is that if we have different speed limits outside
schools at different times of the day. You know what's
going to happen, don't you. They're just going to go
fifty k's all the time. And why is that? I'll
go fifty k's all the time? Because they are creatures
of habit. We are all creatures of habit. And if
we're told we can drive fifty k's past the school

(02:45):
pretty much twenty three hours a day, then that's what
we'll do during the sixty minutes when these thirty k
limits will supposedly be in place. Now you might be thinking, oh,
crossing your arms and thinking that doesn't stack up McDonald,
because most of the time when kids are arriving at
school and leaving for the day, McDonald, most of the

(03:05):
time the traffic is close to us standstill because of
all those pair and to insist they have the drive
right up to the gate to pick up the kids.
You might be right in some cases, but I'll tell
you what, from what I see, that is for a
very short window of time. If it wasn't consider this,

(03:29):
if it wasn't, then we wouldn't lead the kids out
there in the mornings, in the afternoons doing the lollipop patrols.
Would we But we do have them. They are out there,
and they're out there because most drivers are bozos. I'm
a boso, you're a bozo. I'll put my hand up
right now and I will admit that I have driven
past school crossing sometimes in ways that afterwards I felt

(03:52):
terrible about. In generally it's been about speed. I'll get
through before they stick the sign up. I was reading
some comments this morning by the head of the border
trustees at Lindwidav School and she was saying that returning
speed limits back to fifty it's going to be a
backward step, and I agree with her. I gathered the

(04:13):
speed limit outside lim would have school went down to
thirty earlier this year, and she was saying, look, it
hasn't necessarily slowed traffic down, but she sees it as
a start. And that's a key thing here too, key thing.
It can take as long as seven years to change behaviors,
which says to me that we need to give these
permanent thirty k speed limits outside schools more time to

(04:35):
bed in, you know, just because the traffic isn't any
slower today outside lim would have school, for example, than
it was before the permanent speed limit went down to thirty.
That doesn't mean it's failed, That doesn't mean it's it's
not worth sticking with. It doesn't mean it should be
done away with. It just means we need to give
it more time. Because I beat you this. If the

(04:59):
government did stick with it, we would see people driving
slower around schools eventually, And what would be so bad
about that? What would be wrong with that? But I'll
tell you now, there would be nothing wrong with that.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
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