This mum was fed up with cars flying past Ardmore School, putting her son and his schoolmates in danger. So she went right to the top to sort out the problem. And, Kieran Nash writes, she won.
Every time Davina Frewin takes her son, Ethan, to school, she risks their lives.
Ethan attends Ardmore School, which is on a rural Papakura road where cars and trucks shoot past at 80km/h or more. Parents often have to park opposite the school and dash across the road with their kids.
Concerned about this harrowing daily ordeal, Mrs Frewin asked what could be done to make things safer.
The Ministry of Education didn't want to buy land near the school for a car park. The police and the old Land Transport Safety Authority told her she couldn't get the speed reduced. So she went over their heads: she wrote to Transport Minister Steven Joyce.
"I'm just a mum," Mrs Frewin told The Aucklander. "It concerned me because the speed limit is 80 at the moment and most of the car parks you have to cross over to get to.
"I noticed the 80km/h was not being adhered to, and when we're crossing the road, it's extremely dangerous," she said.
She presented an idea, which has been bounced around for some time, to Papakura District Council's operations and monitoring committee: impose a variable speed limit of
40km/h on Clevedon Rd near the school when parents are picking up and dropping off their kids.
Although the idea had been rejected in the past, it was accepted this time. The council hopes to complete the $60,000 work by June 30.
It has been a long time coming, says Ardmore principal Grant Barnes. "Historically, we tried to get a reduction in speed. The LTSA and police originally opposed it," he says, explaining the alternative was to buy a large area of farmland for off-street parking.
The Ministry of Education opposed buying land for that.
"They weren't prepared to use the Public Works Act to get it. Even if we created a car park we're still turning across an 80km/h road. That's fraught with peril itself."
Brian Mitchell, from the Ministry of Education, says the school contacted the ministry. It was told to discuss its needs with them in the normal manner.
Mr Barnes said the school had all but given up until Mrs Frewin took up the issue. "She also went to Steven Joyce and that's where she got the action. She went right to the top. She campaigned tirelessly."
Mr Barnes says there are mixed feelings about the plan in council. "I believe in earlier meetings some councillors opposed it and believe we should have off-street parking."
The council will write to the Ministry of Education strongly advising it to provide parking.
Deputy mayor and former teacher Peter Goldsmith thinks a variable speed limit is not the most sensible option.
"Kids shouldn't walk across a road where cars are going 80km/h. But, in the end, we had to vote for it because it's the only option we've got at the moment."
He says the better option is parking on Burnside Rd, which would not involve the children crossing a road.
Councillor Brent Catchpole can't understand the mixed feelings.
"The education department should have provided land but we've got to work with what we've got."
He says he has been overtaken by cars exceeding 100km/h right outside the school. "The best case scenario is for land beside the school to be used for the school drop-off zone."
He says a parking zone off Burnside Rd will not work. "Personally, I don't think that's a practical solution."
Slow: school ahead
Counties Manukau road policing manager Mike Stopforth says variable speed limits are plainly and simply for safety reasons.
"It's a big LED sign. The schools switch the sign on. They have responsibility to switch it on and off. When the sign is off, it is just blank, but when it's switched on you can't miss it."
Studies show motorists are more likely to abide by a speed limit of 40km/h than 50km/h.
"Once someone puts up a big, neon 40km/h sign, people start to think about their speed," says Mr Stopforth. "We're waiting with bated breath to see how it goes."
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