James Smith: National Road Carriers Policy and Advocacy General Manager says the trucking sector sides with the Government's speed limit plans

The trucking industry says it is backing the Government, in its speed limit conflict with Auckland Council.

The two groups have been having a war of words, over raising the speed limits and bringing in variable limits around schools.

Auckland Council wants more power to set their own limits, the final decision is the Government's though.

National Road Carriers Policy and Advocacy General Manager, James Smith, says that's how it should be.

"The rules around setting speed limits should be set by central Government, so you get consistency throughout the country. And then, the local Governments would need a very, very good reason to stray from those guidelines."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
We've had the Auckland Council. They're voted eighteen to three
to oppose the government's plan to raise speed limits on
the roads back to their levels at the start of
twenty twenty. They also voted twelve to eleven to oppose
the government's plan to allow variable speed limits around schools.
Funny how it was a bit closer on that. It
seems a bit strange that one vote was overwhelming. Maybe
it's because they know their vote doesn't really mean any

(00:30):
of them because it's all up to Simeon. Maybe that's it.
They're going, let's be rebels. Here's a chance to be rebels,
and we don't have to be held to account for
our vote because gosh, I'm cynical anyway. Anyway, So to
discuss this, I'm joined by the GM of Policy and
Advocacy at National Road Carriers Association, James Smith.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Good afternoon, Good Afterlington.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
What do you make of the Auckland Council vote.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Not a huge surprise. It's pretty consistent with what they've
said all along.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
I thought I was surprised because I thought that Auckland
Transport were the ones who were irritating sort of on
the policy front, and that there might have been a
bit more of an even split. But anyway, I guess
do you hope to see the speed limits increase?

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, well, we're what we're looking for is clear concise
direction by central government to what the rules are. Because
what one thing that our members often complain about is
inconsistency throughout the country. So speed limits need to make
sense and it's probably a good idea that they're actually

(01:39):
the rules are set by central government.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
How much consultant How much the government consult with organizations
like yours?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Oh quite a lot. In in fact, the speed limit
rule or the revised rule is open for consultation now.
So we've already gone out to members asking for their
views and input and that forms part of our feedback
back government.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Do you expect any surprises or do you have a
pretty good steer on what your members want anyway?

Speaker 3 (02:11):
No, the feedback has been pretty consistent with what we
did last time, because we also consulted on the previous
rule and got very similar feedback. So there after consistency,
there are after speed limits that make sense, so they
match the conditions, because that's one of the frustrating things,

(02:34):
and I think Simeon's touched on it as well. Where
you've got a thirty k speed limit at four o'clock
in the morning, it just doesn't make sense.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, I've been overtaken by police cars when I've been
doing forty in a thirty k's and they've just been
cruising past me at fifty. So I wonder if some
of these speed limits are actually nobody's paying attention to them.
But you shouldn't have to, I guess break the rules
simply because everyone else is, and the speed limits a
bits silly, it's right.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
I mean, a good speed limit is one that actually
you instinctively see the conditions around you and you and
you're matching that speed anyway. And there we are some
examples of that, like some of the speed limits that
got changed, you know, the ones around variable speeds around
schools and things like that. When we actually looked at

(03:23):
so a lot of our members you've got telematics, and
you looked at what the speeds they were doing around
the school during school hours. They were you know, they
were already at that speed anyway.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
So I think I know the answer this question, but
just to get clearly who should be in charge of
setting speed limits around the country and how much of
it should be left to local authorities.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
The rules around setting speed limits should be set by
central government so you get consistency throughout the country, and
then the local governments would need a very very good
reason to stray from those guidelines.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Do you have any concerns about the speed limits going up?
Are their arguments that you're sympathetic to.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Not really, as there's no concerns about the speed limits
going up. We're in minded that the trucks are limited
to ninety kilometers now, so so that's you know, our
speed is going to remain at that. But what it's
really the speeds in and around local CBDs and things

(04:30):
like that, where you know, we've got a blanket thirty
k speedlmber Dina Road. That's you look in the in
Auckland Nelson Street for example, Yeah, which is four to
six lanes wide, and yet it's thirty kilometers.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Now what about the what about the people who are
saying that looks at the fast we go that, you know,
the bigger the mess, the less time you've got to react.
I mean, is is there a sort of way of
is there a way of assuaging the sort of safety
campaign as concerns with the changes of government's looking to make.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
There is You can't. You can't neither physics and then
mean that's simply you know, speed equals energy, and when
things go pair shaped, that energy has got to be dissipated.
So that is true. The fast you go, the bigger,
the bigger the mess. However, the speed limits have got

(05:22):
to be appropriate for the conditions. They've got to be
a and if you look at a lot of the
crash crashes that occur at high speed, the person isn't
obaying the existing speed limit, so simply changing the sign
won't actually change the outcome. So you've got to have

(05:42):
proper enforcement to match logical speed limits.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
How much do you think that the speed actually really
plays a part in terms of the official speed versus
I mean, you have drivers who are reporting to you
all the times. It's cameras and the trucks showing people
overtaking on blind corners, distracted driving people overtaking while they're
going to look at their message on the smell on
the cell phone. What's what's your take on the things
that we can do to make it difference.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
We've really got to clamp down on distracted driving. Distraction
is probably one of the under reported factors in crash data.
People making poor decisions. So that's got to you know
that that is the cause of the crash. The speed
impacts the outcome, but you've actually got to get to

(06:29):
the why is the crash happening in the first place,
And most of the times there's somebody making a poor decision.

Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah, exactly. Hey, I really appreciate your time, James, Thanks
so much. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
Anytime.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
That is James Smith. He's the GM of Policy and
Advocacy at the National Road Carriers Association, and look, I
have calls from people who would undoubtedly be his members
of his association.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
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