Waihi protest seeking lower speed limit on state highway

Waihi residents Austin Rattray and Anne Marie Spicer hope the Waihi community will support a protest to reduce the speed limit along State Highway 2. Photo / Supplied

Waihī residents Austin Rattray and Anne Marie Spicer are organising a public protest to reduce the speed limit on a well-known stretch of road in Waihī.

The two are frustrated with New Zealand Transport Agency's ''inaction'' to reduce the speed limit along the stretch of highway coming out of Waihī town towards Paeroa, which has been the site of several fatal and serious crashes.

NZTA Waka Kotahi says there are several steps the agency needs to complete before a speed reduction can be implemented. It also says there are a number of safety projects happening around the country and it needs to prioritise.

The residents are asking locals to join them in on a protest next week before more people are injured or killed.

''Residents have been calling for a speed limit reduction in this area for years,'' local business owner Austin Rattray says.

''We've long had support from the mayor, Hauraki District Council and our local MP Scott Simpson, and still nothing has been done.''

Anne Marie says Waihī is a growing town, with a lot more traffic.

''We have a new housing development, a children's playground, Hetherington House and a retirement village on this stretch of road, as well as several dangerous intersections.

''NZTA tells us that work to reduce the speed limit is 'urgent', but nothing is being done in the foreseeable future. As we wait for the reduction, more people are hurt or killed.''

Anne Marie cites a recent crash at an intersection on this stretch of road which saw two residents taken to hospital and caused major traffic delays.

After speaking with NZTA, Austin understands that a change in limits could happen in about a year.

''But to make this road safer, there's not much NZTA needs to do,'' he says. ''Lowering the speed limit would be relatively inexpensive and easy. We're concerned about NZTA's timeframe, despite the acknowledged 'urgent' status — we need the changes to happen now.''

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson agrees ''statistics on traffic incidents in this area indicate it's common sense to lower the speed limit, and I support the need for change now. NZTA has said the change is needed, and I can't understand what the delay is, let's get on and do it.''

Mayor Toby Adams supports a change.

''I'm frustrated this process is taking so long,'' he says, ''and urge NZTA to make this change a high priority.''

Austin and Anne Marie ask the community to join them in protest on February 6 to request that the speed limit be reduced immediately.

A NZTA spokesperson says a technical assessment — which looks at crash history, average vehicle speeds, the volume of vehicles and development in areas being assessed— has been completed for this road.

''The next step is to complete community and road user engagement, which is an important step for speed reviews. This engagement is expected to get under way before mid-2021.

''Engagement helps us get feedback and local knowledge on how people use the road and their concerns. The feedback gained from the engagement phase will help us determine if and what the proposed speed limit changes will be formally consulted on.

"Once we have completed the formal consultation, we then analyse the submissions, our technical data and then we're able to determine the outcome for any speed limit changes.''

There are numerous steps Waka Kotahi follows when changing speed limits, the spokesperson says, as well as there being a number of safety projects around the country that the agency needs to prioritise.

• A public protest will be held on February 6 at 10am, corner of Dean Cres and SH2 to request an urgent speed change.