Kids can expect to be run over

 All Tania McBirney and Jason Warnes want is a 50km/h speed limit on the metal road outside their house south of Pukenui, but they're not making a lot of progress.

The couple, who live a short distance down Turk Valley Road from SH1, have erected a sign of their own, warning drivers that children may be on the road, but the drivers who are causing their concern apparently have no intention of slowing down, and the Far North District Council appears to be mired in the relevant protocol.

The problem is that Turk Valley Road, all 1.5 kilometres of it, is legally open road, with a speed limit of 100km/h.

Tania and Jason claimed last week that to drive at anything approaching that speed would not so much be dangerous as bordering on lunacy, that it was single-lane with several blind corners, and, immediately outside their home, a small hill that entirely deprived drivers of any view of what lay over the brow.

It was far from impossible that what lay over the brow would be one or more of their children.

It was a dead-end road, Tania said, so there wasn't a great of deal of 'casual' traffic, but there were six households, two of them with children (who walked to SH1 to catch their school bus) and home again in the afternoon), and another where grandchildren visited regularly. There were five orchards and woodlots that generated traffic, including trucks, cropping from time to time and occasional droving of cattle.

Tania said she and her children, aged three to 15, routinely walked on the road; there was no verge as such, and any vehicle travelling at anything like 100km/h posed a very real risk of injury or death.

There was also the potential for head-on collisions between vehicles, which on one recent occasion had been very narrowly averted.

One driver who travelled Turk Valley Road regularly was a particular concern, but Jason's approach to him had not been well received.

"He basically said that if the kids are on the road they can expect to be run over," Tania said.

Jason added that he had no means of establishing just how fast that driver travelled, but his best guess was at least 80km/h, which he believed was far in excess of what was safe.

The couple had complained to Houhora's resident police officer, Senior Constable Chris Yarnton, who was sympathetic but unable to help.

"If the speed limit is 100km/h drivers are legally entitled to drive at that speed," Jason said.

"If it was 50km/h some might still do 100, but at least them it could be policed.

"We're not asking the council for much, just a 50km/h sign," he added.

"We're not asking for the road to be widened or modified, which would cost a fortune. We just want a reduced speed limit and a sign."

They had phoned the council several times, receiving the same response one each occasion - that they needed to put their request in writing, with support from other residents, so it could be considered by the councillors. Tania had written a letter and would be looking for the support of others, but could not understand why the process should be so cumbersome. She had been told by council staff that no one would even look at the road until a request had been lodged in writing, with support.

"We're not trying to cause trouble, we just want a very dangerous situation made safer," she said.

"We're busy, like everyone else, and sometimes we thing we'll just let it go and then vroom! Another car speeds past and we wonder what would happen if the kids were on the road or if a ball rolled out the gate and one of them went to get it.

"Perhaps the council is waiting until someone is injured or killed, but I really don't understand . If someone would just come and look at the road they will see how dangerous it is, and how badly it needs a reduced speed limit."