Traffic

Information on traffic calming, traffic counts (volume and speed), speeding, speed limits, and visibility.

Speeding traffic

For speeding traffic, please call the NZ Police for enforcement. If you have problems with continuous speeding traffic in residential streets, please head to the NZ Police website and print the Community Roadwatch form so you can record the event/s. Once completed, please mail or hand in the form to the Police, who'll contact the driver/s.

Traffic counts

Speed and volume surveys are carried out on a regular basis on Kāpiti roads. Data received is then used to plan and develop options, if required.

Traffic calming/speed humps

A speed hump is a raised area built into the road surface. They're used to slow traffic, and make sure traffic speed is appropriate to the road environment, keeping all road users safe.

Speed humps are one of a number of ways of calming traffic, and a lot goes into deciding whether speed humps are appropriate for an area.

What we consider

While speed humps can help slow traffic down, there can be some disadvantages. They can:

create more noise and pollution
create problems for emergency vehicles, buses and heavy traffic
be a nuisance to road users, and sometimes even damage vehicles
cause slight travel time delay, encouraging motorists to use other routes
in some cases, present a traffic hazard if vehicles don’t slow down.

How we make the decision

We sometimes get requests to install speed humps when members of our community are concerned about excessive speed in a certain area or street.

We're looking at a new process as part of our first Speed Management Plan, which we're consulting on April–June 2023. The new process will include checking if the speed hump request aligns with the high-benefit areas identified in the Speed Management Plan.

If there's alignment with the high-benefit areas, the request will be considered as part of our three-year implementation plan. If there's no alignment, the request will be deferred until the plan's reviewed.

Where speed humps aren't appropriate

Sometimes speed humps aren't the best solution. This includes:

on busy urban through roads and rural roads
on emergency vehicle access routes, and roads used frequently by heavy vehicles.
where the other factors outlined in What we consider are present.

Traffic light faults

Traffic speed limits

Waka Kotahi's Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2022 came into force on 19 May 2022 which resulted in all speed limits being migrated from Council bylaws to the National Speed Limit Register (NSLR). The register is an online, map-based, central source of speed limits in New Zealand.

The NSLR can be used to search for speed limits on New Zealand roads, obtain details of specific speed limits and obtain certified copies of speed limits.

Our Speed Limits Bylaw 2015 (amended 2021) was revoked by Council on 26 January 2023.

Visibility

Visibility must be maintained around all driveways, intersections, and overhanging vegetation. To report any visibility or sight line issues, contact us.