New traction for Tauranga's 'stalled' speed review

Martin Parkes, Tauranga City Council transport manager, says a speed review of city streets could begin as early as next month. Photo / file

As Tauranga's population continues to balloon, residents are becoming increasingly concerned at the speed of traffic on busy residential roads. Already this month there have been two petitions presented to Tauranga City Council. Reporter Kiri Gillespie finds out why, what is being done about the city's speed limits, and which road speeds are considered unsafe by a new data tool.A "stalled" speed review of key Tauranga arterial routes is likely to begin as soon as next month. The confirmation of the review came as a petition calling for a lower speed limit for Pyes Pa Rd was presented to Tauranga City Council today. Pyes Pa resident and petition organiser Janet Tullis told elected members the road had become too dangerous for the amount of foot traffic trying to cross the road and for vehicles trying to gain access to driveways, streets and shops. Her petition gathered more than 400 signatures.

She spoke of near-misses including her own when she attempted to cross the road after having caught a bus.

"It's just a dangerous, dangerous part of the road when crossing now, all of the traffic is going fast, real fast. When you get off the bus it's difficult to find an opening to get across -and I've got mobility, a lot of others don't. There are a lot of elderly in the area."

Pyes Pa Rd, near Kopu Dr and the shopping centre, is the subject of a petition calling for a lower speed limit. Photo / File

There are three retirement villages in the area, which has also seen a growth in new builds and residents moving in.

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Transportation manager Martin Parkes said the request to lower the existing 60km/h zone in the area of the Pyes Pa shopping centre would be included in the city-wide speed review which, up until now, had "stalled".

Parkes said the hold up was partly related to a wider stalling from the NZ Transport Agency as well as a lack of internal resourcing. However, the latter was expected to be remedied within the next month or two, Parkes said.

However, he warned the speed review involved a "huge amount of work" around the city, which included public consultation.

"It's quite a task," Parkes said.

"It will involve at least 12 months of data gathering but the main part of the work will be engaging with the community. That's where we might get some kickback from some areas.

"Speed is a very emotive subject and everyone has an opinion on where they live and where their kids go to school, so there is a huge amount of work to go into it."

Earlier this month, a petition to lower the speed limit on Pāpāmoa's Tara Rd was presented to the council. This road and its petition will also be included in the review.

In June, the Bay of Plenty Times revealed data that suggested the speed limit on many Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty roads was too high. The NZ Transport Agency Mega Maps risk assessment data tool revealed 93 per cent of 100km/h local roads were too high.

The Mega Map tool showed the recommended speed limit Pyes Pa Rd, near the shopping centre, should be lowered to 50km/h.

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