Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Editorial: Kerikeri woman's road safety activism shouldn't be punished

By Craig Cooper
Editor·Northern Advocate·
22 Aug, 2017 11:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kapiro Rd resident Nicole Roach took matters into her own hands after years of lobbying unsuccessfully for an 80km/h speed limit at a crash black spot. Photo/Peter de Graaf

Kapiro Rd resident Nicole Roach took matters into her own hands after years of lobbying unsuccessfully for an 80km/h speed limit at a crash black spot. Photo/Peter de Graaf

Sometimes when the wheels of bureaucracy churn slowly, and the wheels of speeding drivers zoom on by, you need to take action.

On Saturday night, Nicole Roach changed the 100km/h signs on Kapiro Rd, north of Kerikeri, to 80km/h.

Was it legal? No. Was it dangerous. No.

And she did a pretty good job, it's hard to tell the signs are fake.

Read more: Kaiwaka speed limit lowered to 60km/h
Kerikeri blackspot resident resorts to DIY speed limit

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Social media began buzzing soon after, and the Far North District Council noticed and removed the signs.

But for a good 48 hours she achieved something the council has failed to do, despite regular lobbying from locals in the Kapiro Rd area.

Locals have been demanding an 80km limit for several years and say speed was involved in several serious crashes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kids, cyclists and horse riders are in danger - the area has changed, it is no longer a rural road - there are more homes and even an early childhood centre.

In 2014 a roading engineer said a lower limit was unlikely to influence driver behaviour.
Ms Roach has lost family in car crashes and says it " rips my heart apart" every time someone was hurt or killed on her road.

While the 80km/h limit signs have been taken down, the good news is the council says it is working with Vision Kerikeri and the NZ Transport Agency to improve safety on Kapiro Rd. They are looking at multiple ways - not just a speed limit reduction - of how the road could be made safer.

And Nicole Roach shouldn't be penalised for what she did, it was harmless, and she was exercising her rights to protest what she says is inaction by the council.

Discover more

New Zealand

No action over DIY speed limit change

24 Aug 11:00 PM

Crash fuels calls for lower speed limit

12 Oct 09:00 PM

The obvious question, it seems, is what harm would an 80km limit do?

Nothing it seems. In which case the council could earn some valuable PR points by not prosecuting Nicole Roach, and getting the speed limit changed.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales
Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

More than 170 customers south of Cape Rēinga are still without power.

17 Jul 08:26 AM
'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi
Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

17 Jul 06:02 AM
Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

17 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP