Police say they will be looking out for speedsters on the newly re-opened stretch of SH2.
Police say they will be looking out for speedsters on the newly re-opened stretch of SH2.
A man has been caught speeding at 200km/h in an illegal car on the new stretch of the Tauranga Eastern Link and police are now vowing to crack down on motorists using the road as a 'speed playground'.
The man was clocked by speed camera travelling on the Te Maunga to Papamoa section of State Highway 2, which re-opened to motorists two weeks ago following months of reconstruction.
Acting Senior Sergeant Nigel Ramsden, pictured, said the old car did not have a warrant of fitness and the driver's reasoning that it was 'okay to drive because it was a new road' was unacceptable
"Driving at 200km/h in a 1997 car is just stupid, because that car won't have all the safety equipment like modern cars do," Mr Ramsden said.
The man was stopped at 11pm on Friday, when there were other vehicles on the road.
"We pull our hair out sometimes with the bad decisions people make on our highways."
Mr Ramsden said the newly opened road was a safe stretch of highway but bad drivers undid the work done to make it safer. Police would now focus attention on the highway and anyone driving dangerously on it. "We will be on that road. We will be targeting anyone who is using it as a speed playground," Mr Ramsden said.
He encouraged people to report bad or dangerous driving via *555, which was already well used. "People might think they can [speed] if they don't see a police car but if they are driving dangerously they will get caught. We are quite tenacious, we have a duty to the public to be."
Mr Ramsden said any suggestion police were just out for revenue gathering was "absolute rubbish".
"It's not about revenue. It's about making the road safer," he said.
NZ Transport Agency road safety director Ernst Zollner said: "This type of extreme behaviour is highly unusual and is not only criminal, in the event of a crash it would not be survivable," he said.
Obviously, the person's had a stupid rush to the head.''
"Nationally on highways around the country, we are seeing a reduction in high-speed incidents and this case is very disappointing."
Mr Zollner said the agency worked hard to reduce death and serious injury.
"In this case we have provided a safe road, but it is up to people to do their part and drive at safe speeds to ensure everyone's safety."
Mount Maunganui/Papamoa ward councillor Steve Morris said he had noticed more people speeding since the highway re-opened, but usually out of frustration at drivers "dawdling" at 60-80km/h.
Transport Minister and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges labelled the stunt as "incredibly dangerous".
"Obviously, the person's had a stupid rush to the head," he said. "It's probably the best road in New Zealand at the moment, but I'm not concerned about it becoming a trend because most people are sensible and know that speed kills."
