Mayor John Carter moving fast to slow beach traffic

Baylys Beach, in Kaipara, has had a 30km/h speed limit at least since 2006. Now the Far North looks set to follow suit at Ahipara. Photo/File

Calls for a 30km/h speed limit on a section of Ninety Mile Beach at Ahipara are gaining traction after years of delay and inaction.

Ahipara residents and Northland MP Mike Sabin have been campaigning for years for a reduced speed limit between the Kaka St ramp and Shipwreck Bay. Not only is hooning on the busiest stretch of Ninety Mile Beach putting lives at risk, they say it also threatens shore birds nesting in the area.

Former Mayor Wayne Brown resisted calls for speed restrictions on the grounds that management of the beach was about to pass to Te Oneroa a Tohe Governance Board. Making a decision on speed limits would have pre-empted the board, which will be made up of iwi, council and government representatives.

New Mayor John Carter, however, is moving fast to at least impose a temporary speed limit replacing the present 100km/h.

Ahipara Community Coast Care chairman Doug Klever welcomed the sudden burst of activity. As well as the danger to beach users, he was concerned for the endangered dotterel and other birds nesting in the Tuturiwhatu Pukenui Punanga (sanctuary).

"In the holidays there's a real proliferation of quads and motorbikes, and people from out of town who have no respect for the environment. Plus the amount of erosion they cause [by riding on the dunes] is phenomenal," Mr Klever said.

Mr Carter said the council had an obligation to address the problem with urgency rather than leave it to a yet-to-be-constituted governance board.

The council already had the ability to control speeds on beaches via its reserves bylaw but a better option would be to use the speed limits bylaw. A temporary limit could be imposed within days, renewable after six months, providing a stop-gap solution at Ahipara until the governance board took effect in mid-2014. Signs would also go up at Waipapakauri Ramp and Tokerau Beach.

Mr Carter would further discuss the options with management, councillors, community board and governance board members.

The council was also fielding complaints about dogs disturbing wildlife at Taupo Bay and calls for a vehicle ban at Cooper's Beach, so it needed to consider whether a whole-of-district approach was needed.

"And setting a speed limit at Ahipara will only be effective if the police enforce it. I will be keen to meet with the police to discuss what resources they are able to commit to addressing this issue."

The council would consult residents at Ahipara, Waipapakauri Ramp and Tokerau Beach, then work on bylaws for each situation.

Mr Sabin said he was delighted by the sudden progress and Mr Carter's undertaking to look at beaches other than Ahipara. He would write to the police to encourage their support.

In 2007 Daisy Fernandez, 13, died when she was hit by a motorcycle on Ripiro Beach. Serious accidents involving quad bikes and motorcycles are common on Ninety Mile Beach.