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A much-discussed bylaw to deal with dangerous beach drivers has been approved by Northland Regional councillors - but won't come into effect until November next year.
This is because, while the bylaw-making process is straightforward, several technical matters surrounding the legal implications on jurisdiction boundaries and transfer of powers from district councils to the regional council need to be sorted out.
However, a code of conduct - with no formal enforcement ability - will be drawn up as a short-term strategy to run alongside new bylaws for Northland's 3200km-long coastline.
The regional councillors and the Regional Land Transport Committee approved the recommendations at their separate meetings in Whangarei on Wednesday.
The dangers of vehicles on beaches has been an issue for more than two years, with two deaths in that time.
Daisy Fernandez, 13, died on New Year's Eve after an unregistered motorbike driven by a 15-year-old Kaipara boy struck her and a friend at Glinks Gully, on Ripiro Beach.
Two years before that, Luke William Newman, 18, died after crashing his bike on Tuna Tuna Beach, south of Tauroa Pt at Ahipara.
In August the regional council said it was looking at a bylaw to deal with vehicles on beaches.
Council coastal monitoring team leader Bruce Howse said the code of conduct option would be cost-effective and relatively easy to implement in high- conflict areas such as Ahipara, Tokerau Beach, Bream Bay and Baylys/Glinks Gully by May this year.
"While recognising there are enforcibility limitations, the code of conduct would be signposted at certain beach access points," Mr Howse said.
On bylaws, he said an example would be Glinks Gully, where a bylaw could specify that a reduced speed limit applied within a set distance of beach access point.
The region-wide code of conduct will be developed next month and signs put up at high conflict beaches in May.
Public consultation identifying issues and options at those locations is set for May and on a draft specific bylaw in November.
Submissions on the bylaw will be received in June 2009, heard in September and enacted in November.
A workshop for regional and district councillors and staff, officials from the Department of Conservation and police to discuss the bylaws and code of conduct has been organised for next month.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
