Taieri Mouth Road Speed Limit

We’re proposing speed limit changes on Taieri Mouth Road to make the road safer for all users and improve residential and beach access.

The public consultation closed on 13 April 2026.

Background

The current speed limit along Taieri Mouth Road is 100 km/h.

We first proposed reducing the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h in our draft Speed Management Plan, which was open to public consultation in 2023. At that time, 20 residents of Kuri Bush made a submission seeking an 80 km/h speed limit on a 3 km section of Taieri Mouth Road, from MacLeods Lagoon to the southern end of Kuri Bush, citing safety concerns.

We are consulting again now after the Government’s Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 (The Rule) changed the process for setting speed limits.

Reasons for reducing the speed on Taieri Mouth Road

Like many coastal roads in New Zealand, Taieri Mouth Road has frequent curves or corners that require drivers to slow down and navigate with caution.
While the speed limit is currently 100 km/h, the mean driving speed is between 88-92 km/h, which indicates the current speed limit is too high for the road.
There are numerous access points to residential properties on blind corners in the Kuri Bush settlement. The Kuri Bush community has asked for a reduced speed limit to improve safety.
There are beach access points along the road with poor visibility of oncoming traffic, which does not align well with being a high-speed road.
Sightlines are limited at the Dicksons Road and Taieri Mouth Road intersection.
Local farmers use the road for moving heavy machinery and logging trucks regularly use the road.
Tourists travel on the road, which is part of the Southern Scenic Route so does not align with being a high-speed road.
There are increasing reports of sealions/pakake either on or crossing Taieri Mouth Road and causing road safety issues.

The proposals

Option 1 – speed limit reduction on the entire length of Taieri Mouth Road

The proposed change would reduce the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h on the full length of Taieri Mouth Road.

The change would apply from the Clutha District Council boundary just north of the Taieri Mouth bridge, to just north of the intersection with Big Stone Road. This is a 13.9 km stretch of road.

This would result in a consistent speed limit on Taieri Mouth Road, reducing confusion and improving driver compliance.
Reducing the speed limit would make residential and beach access safer along the full stretch of road.
It would better align with actual driving speeds, which are consistently lower than 100 km/h, and would promote safer and more consistent speeds along Taieri Mouth Road.
This is the safer option and would be more intuitive for drivers, avoiding multiple speed limit changes along a short stretch of road.

Option 2 – speed limit reduction on part of Taieri Mouth Road

An alternative option is to reduce speed on part of Taieri Mouth Road that includes the Kuri Bush settlement.

This proposed speed limit change from 100 km/h to 80 km/h would apply from the Clutha District Council boundary to MacLeods Lagoon. This is a 6.3 km stretch of road.

Reducing speed on this stretch of road would make residential and beach access safer in this location.
There would be three speed limit changes for motorists travelling through Taieri Mouth Road – as opposed to one speed limit change for option 1 – which could be confusing for road users.

Option 3 – status quo

No change to the current speed limit of 100km/h on the entire length of Taieri Mouth Road, from the Clutha District Council boundary to north of Big Stone Road.

Requirements under The Rule

Cost benefit disclosure statement

The Rule 2024 requires us to complete a cost benefit disclosure statement for the proposed speed limit changes. This sets out the expected impact of the speed limit changes on safety and travel times, and the expected implementation cost.

The proposed speed limit changes are estimated to increase travel times along by 54 seconds (option 1) or 25 seconds (option 2).

Option 1 would reduce serious injury crashes by 0.5, minor injury crashes by 0.7, and non-injury crashes by 0.6 per year. Option 2 would reduce serious injury crashes by 0.4, minor injury crashes by 0.4, and non-injury crashes by 0.4 per year.

The total implementation cost would be $5,000 for either Option 1 or 2.

As Option 3 maintains the status quo, there is no implementation cost for this option.

Option 1 – Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement

Road	Taieri Mouth Road
Distance	13.9 km
Existing Speed Limit	100 km/h
Proposed Speed Limit	80 km/h
Number of crashes in last 5 years	11
Estimated reduction in number of crashes each year	0.5 serious injury crashes
	0.7 minor injury crashes
	0.6 non-injury crashes
Current average operating speed	90 km/h
Decrease in expected mean vehicle operating speed	7.6 km/h
Estimated impact on individual travel time	54 seconds
Estimated impact on collective travel times based on annual average daily traffic volumes	4,624 hours
Implementation cost	$5,000

Option 2 – Cost Benefit Disclosure Statement

Road	Taieri Mouth Road
Distance	6.3 km
Existing Speed Limit	100 km/h
Proposed Speed Limit	80 km/h
Number of crashes in last 5 years	7*
Estimated reduction in number of crashes each year	0.4 serious injury crashes
	0.4 minor injury crashes
	0.4 non-injury crashes
Current average operating speed	90 km/h
Decrease in expected mean vehicle operating speed	7.6 km/h
Estimated impact on individual travel time	25 seconds
Estimated impact on collective travel times based on annual average daily traffic volumes	1,504 hours
Implementation cost	$5,000
*The published consultation materials stated there were 5 total crashes on this section of road over the last 5 years, but a review of the crash data shows there were 7 crashes over the last 5 years. The rest of the disclosure statement is correct.

Data sources

Existing speed limit	NZTA National Speed Limit Register
Proposed speed limit	Based on road classification and consultation
Number of crashes in the last five years	NZTA Crash Analysis System
Estimated reduction in the number of crashes each year	Calculated using the NZTA Optional Cost Impact Analysis Tool
Current average operating speed	Megamaps and Compass IoT traffic data
Estimated average operating speed when new speed limit is in place	Calculated using the NZTA Optional Cost Impact Analysis Tool
Estimated impact on individual travel time	Calculated using the NZTA Optional Cost Impact Analysis Tool
Estimated impact on collective travel times	Calculated using the NZTA Optional Cost Impact Analysis Tool

Role and function of the road

Taieri Mouth Road is classed as a rural connector road. It provides a link between Taieri Mouth and Brighton, as well as access to surrounding land and beaches.
How the road is used

Taieri Mouth Road is primarily used by motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, including tourists, and is also used by freight (forestry), farm vehicles and equestrians.
Marine wildlife (sealions/pakake) is also often found on or crossing the road.
Why a speed reduction has been proposed over other measures

Other safety improvements such as flexible barriers and rumble strips are costly and could be disruptive to residential properties.
Widening shoulders or centrelines is not considered a viable option due to the space constraints of the coastal roading environment.
Alignment of proposal to the road safety aspects of the GPS

This proposal aligns with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024, as reducing speed improves safety by reducing harm due to crashes. Speed reduction will also reduce the number of crashes and make journeys more reliable, increasing resilience of the road network. This proposal delivers road safety in the most efficient and cost-effective manner for this particular road.
Other options we’ve considered

Other than permanent speed reductions on this road, we’ve also considered other safety improvements such as flexible barriers and rumble strips. These would be costly and could be disruptive to residential properties. Widening shoulders or centrelines is not considered a viable option due to the space constraints of the coastal roading environment.

Timeline

Draft Speed Management Plan consultation

2023

Introduction of the Government’s Land Transport Rule - Setting of Speed Limits

2024

Consultation on Taieri Mouth Road speed limit

2 March 2026 – 13 April 2026

Hearings

28 May 2026

Council decision

To be advised

Submissions received during the consultation

Taieri Mouth Road Speed Limit Summary of submissions

Taieri Mouth Road speed limit change submissions - comments

Taieri Mouth Road speed limit change submissions - submissions received

Taieri Mouth Road speed limit change submissions - by topic

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