Mount Maunganui residents’ petition calls for stop to ‘dangerous driving terrorising’ the community

Karen Wardrill, pictured with her husband Greg, started a petition calling for a crackdown on dangerous driving in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Bijou Johnson

More than 1000 Mount Maunganui residents have signed a petition calling for immediate action from the council and police on what they say are dangerous drivers terrorising their neighbourhood.

The petition – which has 1108 signatures so far – was started by Karen Wardrill in December last year and sent to Tauranga City Council on February 22.

Wardrill resides in an apartment on Marine Parade and has lived in Mount Maunganui for 12 years.

Being a holiday destination, the area had “a lot of noise problems historically” but Wardrill said the problem had grown since December.

“I’m not worried about people having a party or going to a pub and making noise along the CBD.”

The disruptions she had noticed were cars “rigged up to make massive amounts of noise at awful times of the day and night”.

Wardrill said she watched the dangerous drivers start at one end of Marine Parade and accelerate beyond the speed limit.

She said activity typically began on Thursday afternoon and continued through to Monday morning.

“It’s worse in the evening because there’s less traffic, so the cars whip up and down.

“Everybody’s really fed up with it.”

Residents and businesses in Mount Maunganui reported a rise in dangerous driving on Marine Parade and Maunganui Rd. Photo / George Novak

Residents say enforcement falls short

Wardrill said she saw police driving down Marine Parade on weekends between 11pm and 1am, but the disruptions peaked between 2am and 4am.

“There’s never any enforcement.”

Wardrill said the police told her two separate people must file a noise complaint with police before officers attended the scene.

The noise must also be sustained, but “by the time [the police] act on the complaint, the driver’s gone”.

Wardrill said further law enforcement was needed, as well as other suggested actions for Tauranga City Council and police.

The petition mentioned stricter enforcement of existing noise bylaws, the introduction of speed-reducing measures, road redesign and safer bike lanes.

Businesses also affected

Kati Croken, a manager at a retail store on Maunganui Rd, signed Wardrill’s petition.

She said the problem was worse on weekends, especially Saturdays.

The disruptions “sounded like a gunshot going off and scared customers”.

“It’s like [the drivers] are trying to race each other, show off.”

Croken suggested restricting vehicle traffic on Maunganui Rd during summer, making the street a pedestrian zone.

Retail manager Kati Croken said downtown Mount Maunganui should be made a pedestrian zone. Photo / Andrew Warner

Two weeks ago, Croken phoned the police to make a report.

There were multiple cars driving past, so she read the number plates to the operator.

Croken said the police had not attended the scene following her complaints.

Western Bay of Plenty Police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said the police deploy according to demand.

“There are already a range of legislative measures in place that police can take to help curb antisocial road user behaviour, which officers regularly employ.”

He said these measures included infringement notices for driving behaviours and impounding vehicles.

“We know our community is frustrated and sick of this behaviour, and we urge people to report matters to us as soon as possible.”

Paxton also suggested writing down number plates and taking photos or videos.

Council reviewing petition

Tauranga City Council transport strategy and assurance manager Karen Hay said the council was working through its standard process for considering petitions.

The council had received three complaints since November last year, with one of these representing a group of businesses.

She said the council would engage with affected businesses and residents if any changes were proposed as a result of the petition or related investigations.

“We will notify the principal petitioner of the meeting date where [the] council or the relevant committee will consider the petition.”

Hay said the council had no plans for speed-calming measures or additional cycle lanes in Mount Maunganui at this stage.

Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.