Skid marks on Andrews Street, Foxton beach, where local residents are concerned about speeding.
Skid marks on Andrews Street, Foxton beach, where local residents are concerned about speeding.
Foxton Beach residents are continuing their battle to stop speeding on a road they say is like a "dragstrip".
Residents of Andrews Street say they are sick of people speeding on the long street and fear a serious accident may happen if something isn't done about it.
Spokesperson Gary Stewartsaid he often sees vehicles travelling on the 50km/h road looking as though they are travelling about twice that speed, including parents taking children to the nearby school in a rush.
Stewart spoke to the Horowhenua Chronicle earlier this year about his concerns, on a day when skid marks from tyres were clearly visible in several places.
He said at the time he had petitioned the council for speed bumps and urged police to put in a speed camera but he didn't think they would do so on a side road.
Foxton Beach resident Gary Stewart is concerned about speeding on Andrews Street.
Since then, Stewart hosted a meeting of around 45 concerned local residents, which was attended by Horowhenua District Councillor Ross Brannigan.
Brannigan said the council had approved the installation of traffic counters as soon as possible along Andrews St, to gather firm data about traffic behaviour in the area.
"This will provide the data of what is happening along the street and will help us decide what needs to be done from there," he said.
"From that we will have the evidence to inform the next steps and look at solutions to mitigate speed and driver behaviour. I am unsure how long the equipment will be installed for but it will obviously be long enough to obtain a clear picture of traffic behaviour in that neighbourhood."
Brannigan said talks with residents in the area showed there were major concerns over speeding and safety.
"There are a number of things that Council can look at to try and mitigate the issues, which will be looked at once the traffic data is obtained," he said.
"Obviously the Police have a role to play and we are having ongoing discussions with them as well. It is hoped the traffic data will be able to demonstrate when road enforcement measures may be most effective."
Ross Brannigan
Stewart said one option already being considered was installing white lines along the street to create a narrowing effect, however he did not think that would be enough of a preventative measure.
He said people at the meeting wanted to see a speed camera or monitoring from unmarked police cars on the street.
Getting something in place before a fatal accident occurred was the most important thing, he said.
