Khandallah's shopping centre is one of several Wellington suburban areas where a new 30kmh speed limit has been proposed.

A proposal to reduce speed limits across Wellington – as low as 30kmh in some suburbs – has drawn a mixed response from the public.

Some Wellingtonians have told the city council they see no need for the change, while others have said the so-called "safer" speed limits do not go far enough.

The council will hold public hearings on its proposal to drop the speed limit from 50kmh to 30kmh in the Berhampore, Khandallah, Ngaio, Northland and Wadestown shopping areas on Thursday.

It is also considering reducing the limit from 70kmh to 50km along an 85-metre portion of Happy Valley Rd from north of the Landfill Rd intersection to the existing 50kmh zone south of the Murchison St intersection.

And in an eerie coincidence just four days out from the public hearings, the concerns held by some about the safety of the Happy Valley Rd 70kmh zone have been highlighted by the death of motorcyclist who crashed into the side of a car turning into the Carlucciland mini golf course on Monday.

Submitter Derek Robertson supported the proposed change, pointing out that Happy Valley Rd was a safety hazard because fast-moving traffic often came around its corners to find cars queued up waiting to turn into Rarangi Way.

"Under such circumstances, this traffic must often make a very hard stop to pull up in time," he said.

Others submitters, including the Owhiro Bay Residents Association, said the proposed new 50kmh zone on Happy Valley Rd did not go far enough, and should be applied to its entire length.

Cycle Aware Wellington said 30kmh limits introduced elsewhere in Wellington had significantly improved safety for people on bikes, reducing injury crashes by 82 per cent.

"Our experience of riding in existing 30kmh zones, such as Aro Valley and Miramar, is that car drivers tend to treat other road users with more respect and dangerous overtaking is less common."

But not everyone was in love with the council's plan.

Ron Gall of Khandallah said he had lived in the suburb for 40 years and never seen a car exceed the current 50kmh limit.

"This [proposal] is another example of unwise use of ratepayers' funds on another hair-brained scheme the council."

The council received 388 written submissions on its proposals.

THE PROPOSAL

Happy Valley Rd: Dropping the speed limit from 70kmh to 50kmh from just north of the Landfill Rd intersection to the existing just south of Murchison St intersection.

Berhampore: 30kmh through the shopping area, affecting portions of Adelaide Rd, Palm Grove, Luxford St and Herald St. Between 2007 and 2014, 28 injury crashes were reported in the area.

Khandallah: 30kmh through the shopping area, affecting portions of Ganges Rd, Dekka St and Agra Cres. Between 2007 and 2014, 7 injury crashes were reported in the area.

Ngaio: 30kmh through the shopping area, affecting portions of Khandallah and Ottawa roads. Between 2007 and 2014, 16 injury crashes were reported in the area.

Northland: 30kmh through the shopping area, affecting a portions of Northland and Garden roads. Between 2007 and 2014, 10 injury crashes were reported in the area.

Wadestown: 30kmh through the shopping area, affecting a portions of Lennel and Wadestown roads. Between 2007 and 2014, 7 injury crashes were reported in the area.