KAWERAU District Council is installing yet more speed bumps in an effort to stop hoons in the town.
Councillors voted earlier this week to add seven speed bumps through the town as speed and burnouts continue to be an issue.
These come after four were installed in the town early this year.
The new speed bumps will be installed at 366 River Road, 2 Fenton Mill Road, 4 Valley Road, 34 Beattie Road and 53 and 27 Peter Lippa Drive.
The new locations were decided after much discussion.
Councillor Berice Julian said she visited all the proposed locations prior to the meeting and was surprised at the location of some.
She gave 366 River Road as an example, as it was close to where people would turn onto Hardie Avenue and there was already a speed bump close to that location.
The Valley Road, Beattie Road, Hall Street and Newall Street proposed locations were also “surprising” for similar reasons.
“I definitely agree on 2 Fenton Mill Road; you take your life into your hands there,” she said.
“Peter Lippa Drive is a real racetrack to miss the speed bumps in Valley Road.”
Mrs Julian suggested moving the proposed Peter Lippa Drive locations to provide “some safety” to the pre-school on that road.
Council engineering manager Andre Erasmus said he had selected the locations because they were close to streetlights and, on some intersections, the speed bumps would prevent burnouts.
He said placing speed bumps close together prevented people from gathering speed between them.
Mayor Malcolm Campbell said the Fenton Mill Road location was a good choice as it was near a “dangerous” crossing. He also agrees with the one on Valley Road.
“Some of these places are in a hell of a situation where, if we don’t do something, someone will be killed and it will be an elderly person or a child,” he said.
“People are driving so fast now, it’s just ridiculous.”
Councillor Aaron Rangihika read aloud an email from a concerned River Road resident who said in their four years living on the road, a car had crashed into a tree nearby and another had hit a streetlight outside their home.
The email writer said they now had a young family and were concerned for their safety.
Mr Rangihika said the speed bump proposed for Peter Lippa Drive was designed to stop a “speed demon” who hooned out of a house there and crossed the street and crashed into a fence.
“If you know anything about that street, it’s wet, the leaves come onto the street and it’s very, very slippery,” he said.
“There’s also a house there that has two young kids who play on the street and that is a real concern for me as a councillor.”
Councillor Rex Savage thinks the council should also consider a speed bump or redesign of the pedestrian crossing outside Putauaki School which, he said, often had cars racing past.
“Someone’s going to get killed there for sure,” he said.
Mr Erasmus said he had looked at the school and it needed more substantial work than simply a speed bump.
He had also looked at Tarawera High School and was considering installing a safe crossing outside.
The council will install five speed bumps this financial year, and two in the next financial year, which begins in July.
It will also look at options to improve road safety at Putauaki School.
