Angry mum wants action after fifth crash

By Sandra Conchie
An alleged drink-driver ploughed a car into the side of a Tauranga home, just centimetres from where two toddlers were sleeping.
It is the fifth time a car has crashed on to Vicki Ruhe's property - and now she wants speed humps installed in Courtney Rd to stop people from dangerously cutting the corner of 22nd Ave.
The near-tragedy happened at 10.20pm on Monday when Ms Ruhe, 39, and her partner had just gone to bed.
She said there was an "almighty bang" that shook the whole house.
They discovered a car had ploughed through their fence, taken out a tree and their clothesline, and was wedged in the side of the house - only centimetres from where Rain-Mari, 3, and one-year-old Bree lay sleeping.
"It really freaked me out. My daughters could have been killed. If it hadn't been for the clothesline, which took some of the impact and pierced a fairly decent hole in the top corner of their bedroom, it could have been quite a different story."
Ms Ruhe said they desperately want Tauranga City Council to introduce traffic calming measures.
"We are all just sick of it. My older daughter was totally traumatised by this whole incident and she is still not back to her old self. When is the council going to wake up and do something about it?"
Ms Ruhe said that after the crash the male driver, who had been heading towards 22nd Ave, ran away. Her partner and some neighbours gave chase. Police using a tracker dog found him in Rimu St, 20 minutes later.
Tauranga police Acting Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby said a 24-year-old Tauranga man driving his father's car had been charged with drink driving and was due to appear in court this week.
Ms Ruhe's next door neighbour, Roger Peters, said residents should not have to put up with the situation any longer.
On Boxing Day, a car ended up in his front yard and it was just sheer luck that his four-year-old daughter, Maggie, wasn't playing there at the time.
"This is the fourth time since then that speeding vehicles have lost control and left the road. It's the safety of our kids that we are worried about, someone could have died."
Mr Peters said that between 9pm and 2am Courtney Rd was a like a rally track for boy racers. Hundreds of cars sped through there every day.
Council spokesman Frank Begley said although the council fully understood residents' concerns, speed humps were not favoured in the street as Courtney Rd was a well established link between two arterial routes.
It serviced heavy traffic and school buses and was the entrance to the industrial area.
However, some roading changes were planned for the near future.
A set of traffic signals would be installed on the corner of Cameron Rd and 22nd Ave, along with a slight realignment of 23rd Ave. A pedestrian refuge would also be installed on 22nd Ave between Cameron Rd and Courtney Rd.
"This and the associated road markings should improve safety for Girls' College students and others who need to cross the road. It also may help prevent cars cutting the corner into Courtney Rd," Mr Begley said.
"Changes to the roading environment can only do so much. Where poor driver behaviour and speed are concerned, it is a matter for police to enforce."
Senior Sergeant Ian Campion, head of the Strategic Traffic Management Unit, said while he was aware of speeding issues in the area, he was unaware of similar crashes in the street.
"While I understand how frustrated residents must be, I too have some concerns that if speed humps were put in Courtney Rd it could well create even more problems due to motorists stopping and starting and the associated noise which goes with that."