By Oliver Reich
Since we last advised about the Waka Kotahi National Speed Limit Register (NSLR) project back in March 2021, the delivery date for the register has moved out to align with when the new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits (2021) goes live. Subject to the Minister’s approval and impacts of COVID-19, we expect the new Rule to come into effect in the second quarter of 2022.
The Setting of Speed Limits 2021 Rule provides the information and process requirements when creating a land transport record for setting a speed limit. To enable this Waka Kotahi is developing the NSLR and is currently working with road controlling authorities to migrate their speed limit data.
The NSLR provides an online maps-based central source of all fixed speed limits for roads in New Zealand. It will become the legal instrument for setting speed limits, instead of bylaws, and speed limits will be required to be in the NSLR to be legally enforceable.
The NSLR will enable organisations responsible for speed management to record, update and share speed limit data, and make more informed speed management decisions.
Speed limit data is used by the public, NZ Police and increasingly by intelligent systems in vehicles. The NSLR will be publicly available and serve as the single source of the truth for speed limits on New Zealand’s roads.
Please email NationalSpeedLimitRegister@nzta.govt.nz if you have queries about the project or the NSLR.
Figure 1: NSLR Dashboard (example speed limit record)
Figure 2: NSLR Dashboard (example create speed limit record)
