Speed bumps on Kawaha Point Rd and Ford Rd are too tall by 10mm to 20mm a council assessment has found. Photo / Andrew Warner
Speed bumps on Kawaha Point Rd and Ford Rd are too tall by 10mm to 20mm a council assessment has found. Photo / Andrew Warner
Some motorists have decided to alter their driving routes after speed bumps installed through the city were built too high.
The standard height for a speed bump is 100mm, however, an assessment of those on Kawaha Point Rd and Ford Rd found they were between 10 and 20mm too tall.
Rotorua Lakes Council said the speed bumps were installed on both roads following the request of residents and local police.
One Kawaha Point Rd resident, who did not wish to be named, said she knew people who had changed their routes to avoid the speed bumps.
"In the first week it was very noisy. You could hear the cars slowing down and the low ones had trouble getting over."
Another Kawaha Point Rd resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said there were too many speed bumps on the road.
"I've seen cars scrape their radiators on them. There were a couple of breakdowns."
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environment deputy chief executive Stavros Michael said the contractor was "required to go and correct the mistake" during a Rotorua Lakes Council operations and monitoring committee meeting last Thursday.
Speed bumps on Kawaha Point Rd and Ford Rd are too tall by 10mm to 20mm a council assessment has found. Photo / Andrew Warner
Michael said the work to repair the Ford Rd and Kawaha Point Rd speed bumps were expected to be completed within the next fortnight, weather permitting.
This follows a debate in the Rotorua Daily Post's letters to the editor since the speed bumps were installed.
Rotorua Lakes Council's contractor is adjusting the speed bumps on Kawaha Point Rd this week. Photo / Andrew Warner.
The speed bumps were variously described in the opinion pages as "demons", "draconian", "pretty expensive" and "unnecessary impediments to our freedoms" - but one Lynmore resident said if Kawaha Pt Rd did not want them, Butler Place would take them.
Local residents told the Rotorua Daily Post speeding was a problem.
"Young kids around here could hardly walk around the streets," one Ford Rd resident, who wanted to be anonymous, said.
Rex Jenkins, who has lived on Ford Rd for 60 years, said the speed bumps were "a bloody good thing to do."
Residents said cars speed on Clinkard Ave at any time of the day. Photo / Andrew Warner
Residents of Clinkard Ave in Glenholme have been requesting speed bumps for some time.
"Speeding happens basically any time of the day," Clinkard Ave resident Ronni Rowles told the Rotorua Daily Post.
"It can be 3 o'clock in the morning, or 9am when kids are going to school, whenever they want, really."
Rowles' two children walk to school. She said speeding has been an issue for some time and has caused her to worry about their safety.
Clinkard Ave resident Richard Mills said on one occasion a car had driven up onto the kerb and knocked down two trees in front of his house.
"It was just speeding out of control, basically," Mills said.
Michael said the speed bumps were installed at the request of residents and local police, and on the basis of a risk assessment.
"For example, the risk assessment for Kawaha Point Road was elevated due to at least six reported crashes and the proximity of a primary school and recreational areas.
"For both roads, the average speed of vehicles was recorded at 60km/hr with 15 per cent of traffic travelling above the speed of 66km/hr."
Kawaha Point Rd carried more than 5000 vehicles per day.
"We are disappointed that the execution of the installation was not in full compliance with the works specifications."
He said the council followed a specific formula to decide which roads received traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps.
"The road is given a priority score, which is calculated through traffic volumes and types of user percentages, recorded vehicle speeds, speed-related crashes/injuries and proximity to community facilities (schools/early childhood education centres, rest homes, marae, parks, halls) that generate pedestrian traffic," he said.
"Based on our current assessment of risk, the roads identified for traffic calming in 2021/22 as a priority are Otonga Rd and Edmund Rd.
"We need to complete further assessments of each location's characteristics before we move to final design."
The council has received requests for speed bumps on the following roads:
