<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least one person lost their licence after a council error that meant 172 drivers were wrongly issued speeding fines in central Wellington, New Zealand.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Last week reported that Wellington City Council admitted a lower speed limit on Aotea Quay could not be enforced because they had changed it incorrectly.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2023, the council introduced a temporary 50km/h limit on the busy arterial road between Sky Stadium and State Highway 1 while a roundabout was built. The permanent speed limit was 70kph.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After the roundabout was completed, in April 2024, the council installed 50km/h signs and consulted on lowering the speed limit permanently - a change it said was necessary due to the roundabout.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/crystal-hanley-charlie-nowland-child-abuse-victim-impact-statements/06fa46f7-0ed2-43c5-a819-28d8cddd00e8" rel="" target="" title="Meth-addicted mum joked as six-year-old daughter died, court hears"><strong><span>Meth-addicted mum joked as six-year-old daughter died, court hears</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There was no opportunity for public feedback and the council approved the change in August 2024.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, the council failed to submit the change to the National Speed Limit Register before the new Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024 was signed by the minister of transport, returning many recently reduced limits to higher levels.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/council-mistake-results-in-at-least-onelost-licence-and-a-whole-lot-of-wronglyissued-speeding-fines/45475c4d-0779-4cac-bfde-9ea7e0e8f179" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>50km/h signs 'not legal'</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Following last week's story, Stuff obtained emails between the council and police, released under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The documents showed that in September 2024, the council's former chief of infrastructure, Siobhan Procter, emailed police to let them know about the speed limit change.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, a month later, Gordon Keay from the Police Infringement Bureau replied, telling Procter the council had used the incorrect law to change the speed limit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This meant the police had been enforcing a speed limit that was incorrect.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At least one of the infringements had resulted in disqualification over total demerit points, Keay wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Police have been enforcing that limit in good faith, but have now ceased any speed enforcement on Aotea Quay until the problem has been rectified.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I recommend that the illegal and non-compliant 50[km/h] signs be removed or covered immediately and replaced with 70[km/h] signs which are compliant with the current legal speed limit for the area until this matter is resolved."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Inspector Peter McKennie, acting director of road policing, told Stuff that officers rely on the accuracy of speed limits set by local authorities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If police find an inconsistency, they alert the controlling authority to fix it, as well as reviewing and cancelling any tickets issued in error.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For now, there are no speed limit signs posted along the several hundred metres of arterial route which takes traffic in and out of the city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Wellington City Council referred Stuff to comments from the previous week's story, which said the public were getting a chance to comment on the speed change.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, the consultation was going ahead for legal reasons and appeared unlikely to change the reality: without a lower speed limit, the roundabout would need to be rebuilt.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The consultation is open until early December, and the proposal will be decided by a council committee early next year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>This article was originally published on Stuff.co.nz and has been reproduced here with permission.</span></strong></em></div></div>