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A bylaw to control vehicles on some Northland beaches is unlikely to be implemented before next summer.
The danger posed by vehicles on beaches has been an issue in Northland for more than two years, and in August the Northland Regional Council proposed drafting a bylaw to deal with the problem.
The council's land transport committee has made a report on ways to tackle the problem, including plans to introduce bylaws for Ruakaka, Baylys Beach/Glinks Gully, Ahipara and Tokerau beaches. The report will be put to the council at its February 20 meeting.
Regional council planning and policy manager Glenn Mortimer said the targeted beaches were where the main problems were. A code of conduct and education campaign were planned for other beaches along Northland's 2700km coastline.
Mr Mortimer said a lot of consultation and discussion had to take place before a bylaw could be implemented. If the regional council accepts the bylaw proposal, a workshop would have to be held with the Whangarei, Far North and Kaipara district councils next month.
The Far North and Kaipara councils would then have to extend their boundaries to include beaches so the bylaw could be effected. Whangarei District Council had already done this.
Then a public consultation process on the proposed bylaw would be carried out in April or May, and a draft bylaw could be ready by November.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
