Road safety role dropped

A Tauranga city councillor convicted of drink-driving has resigned from the Western Bay's road safety committee.

Hayden Evans' resignation took effect on Wednesday in an email to Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby.

Evans' decision meant the council did not have to decide whether he remained as the authority's representative on the joint road safety committee when it meets next Tuesday.

He came under fire 10 days ago when another councillor, Mike Baker, said he had concerns with the credibility of Evans to continue to operate as the council's representative.

Evans returned a blood alcohol level of 139mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood after he was pulled over by police in Willow St on December 4.

He was subsequently fined $650 and banned from driving for six months.

In his resignation email, Evans said he had determined not to allow Mr Baker's public muck raking to interfere with the ability of the road safety committee to function effectively, or be distracted from performing its tasks by his continued membership.