Backlash at plans for Te Puke 80km/h limit

Richard Weld, a frequent user of State Highway 2, feels lowering the speed limit will make the road dangerous because of people's impatience with the slower traffic flow. Photo / Ruth Keber

Te Puke residents are angry at a proposal to drop the rural speed limit to 80km/h on SH2 between Papamoa and Paengaroa.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council heard more than 10 verbal submissions yesterday after more than 400 written submissions were made on the proposal to cut the limit by 20km/h.

Rangiuru resident and Te Puke business owner Erin Burt was against the proposed change.

"The speed at which we travel our roads is well controlled by the volume and type of traffic. In the evening travelling 70 or 80 km/h after 6pm to get to town would be ludicrous given there will be little traffic and in the morning the speed is self regulated by the volume of commuters," she said.

"I employ staff who travel from Katikati, the Mount and Papamoa daily. These staff members have found the slow drive to work annoying and we were looking forward to better roads, less traffic and the ability to travel closer to 100km/h.

"My ability to attract professional staff in the future would be impacted by a perception of the time required to travel here," she said.

Te Puke resident Alain Ventelou said reducing the limit would put people off using the highway. They would most likely use the new toll road instead.

"A new form of highway robbery," he added.

Frequent highway driver and Te Puke resident Richard Weld said the current speed limit suited the road and its conditions.

Lowering the limit would cause people to become impatient, he said.

Image/WBOPDC

Te Puke Community Board chairman Peter Miller said he would like the 100km/h speed limit maintained but for the council to review it in a year.

Mr Miller said the new Tauranga Eastern Link would reduce heavy traffic on the highway which would mean lower "frustration levels" for local drivers.

There would also be less out-of-town traffic on the road so people who did use it were familiar with the stretch could handle the 100km/h limit, he said.

But the New Zealand Transport Agency backed the proposal drop to 80km/h because it believed it would create opportunity for Te Puke, and improve safety on the route once it became a local road.

Bay of Plenty highways manager Niclas Johansson said he anticipated about 30 per cent of the current traffic travelling through Te Puke will move on to the Tauranga Eastern Link once it opened later this year.

The average speed on the route between Paengaroa and Domain Road was currently 88km/h and dropping the speed to 80km/h would add an additional 55 seconds to journeys, he said. "At 100km/h, dropping the speed limit to 80km/h would add an additional two minutes (1 minute and 52 seconds) to your journey."

Mr Johansson said the drop in speed would also reduce the number of fatal and serious crashes on the Te Puke corridor by one to two per year.