KEY POINTS:
Scott Dixon's triumph at the Indianapolis 500 elevates him into the pantheon of international sporting superstars - and it could not have happened to a nicer guy.
It would be good if the win excited interest in motorsport, but not if it increased the incidence of drivers trying to ape his high-speed achievement on public roads.
By coincidence, the news came in the same week as reports of a submission to the Auckland Regional Council by Forest and Bird's Kaipara branch, which called for a ban on vehicles on the 60km stretch of beach from Muriwai to the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour.
An opinion poll in March on nzherald.co.nz found almost 50 per cent wanted a total ban and more than 40 per cent wanted some restriction on vehicle use.
The death of 13-year-old Daisy Fernandez who was struck and killed by a teenage motorcyclist at the topographically similar beach north of the harbour on New Year's Eve adds weight to their concerns
The problem with a ban, as with all bans, is that it abridges the rights of people who have done nothing wrong. The beach, which has been classified as a public road since such classifications first started, provides access to rich fishing spots which would otherwise be hard to reach and police say that at least 90 per cent of those who drive on the sand cause no problems.
ARC chairman Mike Lee says that a complete vehicle ban would cause a huge public backlash. It would be justified. More sensible is a rigorously enforced lower speed limit - 30 km/h at the busy southern end and 50km/h further north - and a rule that restricts vehicles to a straight line between shellfish beds and the ecologically sensitive sand dunes.
And the high-speed hoons driving in huge circles can be dealt with under existing law: if they can't do that on any other public road, they can stop doing it on this one.
