New speed limit for Matapihi roads

A number of crashes have been recorded on Matapihi Road.

Roads on the Matapihi Peninsula are to have a new speed limit of 60km/h from the end of this month.

Tauranga City Councillors have resolved the 60km/h speed limit will apply from the end of the current 50km/h limit near the intersection with Bayfair Drive, to all roads on the peninsula.

In her report, city council traffic safety engineer Karen Hay says there have been 20 crashes on the peninsula during the last five years, with two deaths and four involving serious injury. The cause of 70 per cent of the crashes was vehicles losing control.

'Following a fatal crash in 2016, concerns were raised by the community regarding the level of road safety of the Matapihi Peninsula,” says Karen.

'An independent safety review was undertaken by Opus consultants.”

Council staff have also been working with Te Kura O Matapihi for a number of years to develop safe school travel plans, with the aim of making travel to and from school safer.

While a number of actions agreed with Te Kura and have been implemented, Karen says one action remains outstanding; creating safer speeds throughout the Matapihi Peninsula.

A hui at Hungahungatoroa Marae in August 2017 found safer speeds are a major community concern, with the majority of people supporting a change to the speed limit to 60km/h for the entire Matapihi Peninsula

Formal consultation followed in November and December 2017, which included a letter drop to all residents within the peninsula.

Pamphlets inviting feedback were also distributed to families and students attending Te Kura o Matapihi. Eighty seven per cent agree with the reduced speed limit.

Reasons given by the 13 per cent disagreeing with the 60km/h limit say the speed limit should only extend from Hungahungatoroa Road, where the Kohanga is, right along in front of Matapihi School onwards.

And that it is not necessary to change to the speed limit for the whole Peninsula given the rural nature of the area.

Supporters say one limit will make a safer community instead of the current 50, 80, 70km/h speed limits along Matapihi Road; and that the road's use as a drag strip has gone on for too long and is not appropriate given the increasing traffic volumes.

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1 comment

took

Posted on 02-05-2018 11:44 | By Capt_Kaveman

them long enough but Welcomebay took 10years of rallying


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