Parua Bay Tavern owner Tom Donelley welcomes the proposed speed reduction for the dangerous stretch of road outside the pub. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A speed limit review of the Whangārei Heads area has sparked controversy a month ahead of public consultation, leaving motorists worried that navigating their route to town will become an ordeal.
The windy, narrow road out of the Heads is a contentious topic in the community and sees heated clashes arising between impatient tailgaters and overcautious slow drivers.
Growing population numbers have put increasing pressure on the infrastructure and left the road more congested than ever, with up to 6500 daily traffic movements.
Coupled with dangerous driving, Whangārei Heads is a high-risk traffic environment according to traffic authorities, including Waka Kotahi and local council.
As part of the National Road Safety Strategy – or Road to Zero – Whangārei District Council is proposing significant speed limit reductions in the Whangārei Heads, with over 140 changes to the current speed limit.
Public feedback is starting at the end of October.
Northland Transportation Alliance (NTA) general manager Calvin Thomas said all Northland district councils are reviewing speed limits, starting with the high-risk areas.
If the proposal were to go ahead, all 100km/ph speed zones would be scrapped, with the maximum speed limit sitting at 80km/ph. Some of the current 100km/ph zones are being reduced to 30km/ph.
Following Waka Kotahi's new guidelines, the maximum speed outside Parua Bay and Whangārei Heads schools would be 30km/ph.
"The new proposed speed limits are reflective of the overall road environment - for example, 60km/ph on unsealed roads where most drivers are currently doing between 50km/ph and 70km/ph," Thomas said.
"In most cases, the proposed speed limit is similar to the operating speed of the road; that is, the speed at which many drivers are currently doing."
Outgoing Whangārei Heads ward councillor of nine years and Whangārei Deputy Mayor Greg Innes sees the speed review as an opportunity for a wider discussion about how the road can become safer.
"Whangārei Heads Rd is an issue – that's common to all residents. Either the cars are travelling too slow or too fast."
He said the speed limit review was "more than just a new traffic sign on the road".
Innes would like to see congestion reduced as much as possible, and explore transport options that include park and ride facilities from Parua Bay and the improvement of Mt Tiger Rd as an alternative route into town.
A pedestrian crossing outside Parua Bay School where students can cross the road safely has been in discussion.
Other improvements would include more pavement - for example, in Waikaraka, pedestrians precariously walk along the side of the road while cars drive past at 70km/ph, Innes said.
Meanwhile, residents in Pataua South have lobbied for speed bumps.
"This consultation is about having a discussion with the community to work out what makes sense."
According to NTA research, there were two fatal crashes and nine crashes causing serious injury on the Whangārei Heads Rd from 2011-2021.
There were also 58 minor crashes and 104 non-injury crashes in the same period.
Onerahi senior constable Spencer Penney puts the majority of crashes down to people's driving.
"I don't think the road is dangerous. The speed limits are appropriate for the road if people were keeping to those limits and us[ing] a bit of common sense" – for example, slowing down if the surface is wet after rain.
Penney said a disproportionate number of crashes happen on the corner of Whangārei Heads Rd/Wharf Rd and Whangārei Heads, just past Pepi Rd heading east.
The community is frequently proposing pull-overs for slow vehicles along both sides of the road so faster drivers can pass safely.
A Tamaterau parking space traditionally was used by slow motorists for that purpose, but some residents say since the space was re-developed, it has become more difficult to pull over.
NTA is vague about the prospect of slow-vehicle bays:
"A speed limit that is close to the operating speed of the road and is consistent with the road environment lowers the top end of the speed range," Thomas said.
"However, the lower end of the speed range does not tend to drop further. A reduction in the range of speed on a road means that there is less 'pressure' to overtake."
Whangārei Heads resident Jan Boyes is an avid supporter of pull-over bays, "purely to keep the traffic flowing and not to encourage speeding".
She said there were a lot of people who want to get to town as fast as possible, and being stuck behind a line of slow-driving cars could "raise the blood pressure".
Boyes doesn't mind changes to the speed limits, but says this proposal "is going too far".
"I'd like to know if changes in speed limits have succeeded in reducing crashes in other places."
She said speeding cars driving past Parua Bay School worried her, but Boyes didn't understand why the speed limit would be 30 km/ph outside of school hours.
Resident Grant Faber has similar doubts, believing that a speed reduction won't deliver the desired result of making the roads safer.
"It relies heavily on motorists believing [the changes] are good."
Overall, reducing the speed to 80 km/ph was "sensible", but Faber said there are too many speed variations along the road.
He described the high number of proposed speed changes and the variation of speed limits as "ludicrous"; Waka Kotahi's speed management plan was better suited for urban areas, but less so for semi-rural roads like the Whangārei Heads area.
Highlighting the proposed changes for Parua Bay, Faber said, "30 km/ph should be for short stretches, otherwise nobody will comply."
The same applied to Tamaterau, where the speed would be reduced from 70 km/ph to 50 km/ph.
Meanwhile, Tom Donelley, owner of the Parua Bay Tavern, reckons the proposal is positive news for the community.
He had previously asked the council to reduce the speed limit outside the pub.
The corner of Whangārei Heads Rd/Crisp Rd, just across from the tavern, is a high-risk crash area, and Donelley said it was lucky that no pedestrian crossing the road has been hit yet.
"I think it is a great idea. We've been trying to get the speed reduced to 50 km/ph. We even submitted letters from a senior crash investigator to the council."
Because no changes were made, Donelley eventually installed a traffic mirror outside the tavern so motorists pulling out onto Whangārei Heads Rd from Crisp Rd have better visibility.
The proposal suggests reducing the speed limit from 70 km/ph to 30 km/ph, starting 110 metres before the tavern (town side) and going 50m past Crisp Rd. It would continue at 60 km/ph to 220m past Wharf Rd, which currently is 70km/ph before changing to 100km/ph.
For Parua Bay School's principal Mark Ashcroft, a speed limit reduction is welcome if it brings about more careful driving past the school.
He said there appeared to be frequent speeders going past the school which was worrying, particularly during the peak drop-off and pick-up times.
With another four weeks to go until public consultation starts, it is apparent that discussions in the community could become heated.
Parua Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association president James Griffin said road safety was definitely a priority for the community, as several surveys and public meetings have shown.
"That is not to say that everybody is of the same opinion. It's a very emotive issue.
"Internally, we all think we are perfect drivers, but if somebody points at you and says, 'You're driving too fast', they can take it to heart."
He said road safety is complex. The general public are not road experts, and should listen to what experts have to say.
Griffin said the association is supporting ongoing engagement between the community and the council concerning road safety, but the group is yet to form an official position in regards to the proposal.
Submissions for the proposal run from October 28 to December 5. Any submissions made before this period can't be considered.
Visit wdc.govt.nz/HaveYourSay or email mailroom@wdc.govt.nz (subject line 'Speed Limits Bylaw') to make a submission.
Hearings will be held in February 2023.
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