Imagine losing your driver's license because of a mistake someone else made. That's exactly what happened in Wellington, New Zealand, where a council blunder led to 172 drivers being wrongly slapped with speeding fines. And at least one person paid the ultimate price – their license. How did this happen? Let's dive into the details.
Last week, news broke that the Wellington City Council admitted a critical error regarding the speed limit on Aotea Quay, a major road in the city. They couldn't enforce the reduced speed limit because they implemented the change incorrectly. To understand this, we need a little background.
In 2023, while constructing a roundabout on Aotea Quay (a busy road connecting Sky Stadium and State Highway 1), the council imposed a temporary speed limit of 50km/h (approximately 31 mph). The original, permanent speed limit was 70km/h (around 43 mph). Makes sense, right? Construction zones usually have lower speed limits for safety.
After the roundabout was finished in April 2024, the council decided they wanted to make the 50km/h limit permanent. They installed new signs reflecting this change and began a consultation process. Their reasoning? The roundabout, they argued, made the lower speed limit necessary. But here's where it gets controversial...
The council approved the permanent speed limit change in August 2024. And this is the part most people miss: the council forgot to officially register the change with the National Speed Limit Register before a new Land Transport Rule went into effect. This new rule, ironically, aimed to revert many recently lowered speed limits back to their previous, higher levels. Ouch.
This oversight meant the 50km/h speed limit, clearly marked by the new signs, was not legally valid. The signs were, in effect, telling drivers to obey a speed limit that didn't exist in the eyes of the law.
According to emails obtained by Stuff (a New Zealand news outlet) through a freedom of information request, the council's former chief of infrastructure, Siobhan Procter, informed the police about the speed limit change in September 2024. However, a month later, Gordon Keay from the Police Infringement Bureau responded with the bad news: the council had used the wrong legal process to make the change.
This meant the police had been unknowingly enforcing an incorrect speed limit. The consequences were significant. As Keay stated, "The 50[km/h] signposted limit in place on Aotea Quay is not legal and as a result police have had to cancel and refund or withdraw from Ministry of Justice jurisdiction a total of 172 speeding infringements." He also highlighted the devastating impact on at least one driver: "At least one of the infringements had resulted in disqualification over total demerit points."
The police, understandably, ceased all speed enforcement on Aotea Quay until the issue was resolved. Keay even recommended removing or covering the illegal 50km/h signs and replacing them with the legally compliant 70km/h signs. Inspector Peter McKennie, acting director of road policing, emphasized that officers rely on the accuracy of speed limits set by local authorities. When inconsistencies are found, they alert the authority and cancel any wrongly issued tickets.
As of now, the speed limit signs along Aotea Quay are gone. Think of it as a blank slate on this stretch of road.
When contacted by Stuff, the Wellington City Council pointed back to their previous statements regarding the public consultation. They maintain that the public has a chance to comment on the speed change. However, the consultation seems to be more of a formality. The council has implied that without the lower speed limit, they would need to rebuild the roundabout – a costly and disruptive undertaking. So, is the consultation truly open to different outcomes?
The consultation is scheduled to run until early December, and a council committee will make a final decision early next year. The big question is: will they find a way to legally implement the 50km/h speed limit, or will they revert to the original 70km/h, potentially requiring modifications to the roundabout? And, more importantly, what safeguards will be put in place to prevent such errors from happening again? What do you think? Should the council prioritize the lower speed limit, even if it means potentially limiting public input? Or should they revert to the original limit and explore other solutions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
