Tauranga City councillor and Welcome Bay ward representative Tina Salisbury. Photo / File
Residents fed up with out-of control-crashes in Welcome Bay are pleading for drivers to slow down.
The call follows an incident in which a car in a police pursuit crashed through two fences into a campervan and very nearly into a house where a family was sleeping inside.
The crashhappened about 10.45pm on Tuesday on Welcome Bay Rd, near Esmeralda Drive.
The next day, bleary-eyed occupants of the house told the Bay of Plenty Times they had been up half the night after a police pursuit but declined to comment further.
"It's because it's become a commuter road. People are treating it as a highway, but there's no excuse [for speeding].
"We want people to slow down. It's just too dangerous."
Fellow Welcome Bay Rd resident Alison Blain said the speed of traffic travelling past often made it risky driving out of her driveway.
"They come around that corner and accelerate. Some days it gets quite scary."
Tauranga City councillor and Welcome Bay representative Tina Salisbury said speed was a serious concern and some people seemed to disregard the residential nature of the area "and speed through it like a highway".
"I also have seen a cyclist hit, an overturned car by the Community Centre and a car that has gone off a corner, just in the past few months," she said.
"I think it is time to review the speed limit along parts of Welcome Bay Rd and look at other safety measures, where our community, children and families cross this road. The 60km/h limit is not suitable."
Tauranga City Council is investigating a review of speed limits. Last year, the council received at least two different petitions from residents in Pāpāmoa and Pyes Pā calling for a slower speed limit.
Council transportation manager Martin Parkes has previously said the speed review involved a "huge amount of work" around the city, which included public consultation.
"It will involve at least 12 months of data gathering but the main part of the work will be engaging with the community. That's where we might get some kickback from some areas.
"Speed is a very emotive subject and everyone has an opinion on where they live and where their kids go to school, so there is a huge amount of work to go into it."
Police were unable to answer how many crashes there had been on Welcome Bay Rd since January 1, 2020, before deadline.
A person arrested after Tuesday's crash is expected to appear in Thames District Court on Tuesday.