Bay motorists buck speed ticket trend

Bay motorists appear to be getting the message to slow down on the roads over summer.

Western Bay of Plenty bucked the national trend in speeding tickets last summer, with fewer tickets issued in December and January than in the previous three years.

Speed cameras snapped 402 motorists for whom tickets were issued, while police officers wrote 1679 tickets for a total cost of $184,840.

Nationally, the number of camera-detected speeding offences in December and January was more than double the same period for any other year in the past five years, at 256,500 for $11,504,460.

Officer-issued speeding offences were similarly highest last summer at 62,254 for $5,783,930.

The increases were largely a result of lowering the speed threshold to 4km/h over the limit rather than the previous tolerance for up to 10km/h, officials believe.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said he was unsure why fewer tickets were issued in the region as speed was still a major issue in the Bay.

"I urge people to keep speeds down," he said. "The speed limit is not a target. If there's wet weather or high winds, you're going to have to drive slower.

"The faster you go the bigger the mess - that's simply a fact."

The reduced 4km/h speed threshold would be in place again this December and January so drivers who sped beyond the 4km/h tolerance could expect police attention, he said.

It was "extremely disappointing" there had been 11 fatalities on Western Bay roads so far this year, when last year there were six, he said.

"We certainly don't want any more ... People need to take responsibility to concentrate on their driving, drive within the rules and take extreme care so they get to their destination safely."

Mr Campion believed a zero death toll was achievable on Western Bay roads but it would take a huge commitment from every road user to make that happen.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional director Harry Wilson said it was particularly important motorists reduced their speeds during the busy holiday period, as many Bay roads were narrow and winding.

"We're urging everyone to be patient, relax, enjoy the journey and drive at a speed that's safe for the conditions," he said. "When traffic is heavy during the holidays and driving conditions are less than ideal the safe speed to travel will be lower than usual."

The national road death toll during last year's reduced speed period was 42, which was a 26 per cent reduction in road deaths compared with the same period the previous year. The 23 deaths in December was the lowest ever recorded for that month since records began in 1965, while the 19 deaths in January were the second lowest for the month.

Police plans for tackling speed this summer would be announced later this month, national police spokesman Kevin Sinnott said.NZME