22 January 2025
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Concerns regarding boy racing in Bidois Rd
Enquiry
I'm writing up about concerns of boy racing in the Bidois Rd area and had some comment for response please. I have been provided with the mayor's response which covers most things but please let me know if there is anything to add. Included in bold so you know what I have.
Two residents said the "racetrack" area is Bidois Rd and around the adjoining streets like Tapsell, Neil and Walker Rds.
One of the residents described the area as close-knit, with lots of families and elderly.
She worried for residents and said she had told her own children that if they heard any cars start to skid they were to come inside immediately.
She recently replaced a section of her fence after a young driver lost control and came through it at 8pm.
“[The children] could well have been on the trampoline.”
In October, she and other residents rushed to see the cause of a loud band at night, and found a car upside down in the creek having “hit the kerb”.
Incidents increased as soon as it rained and neared the weekend.
“Someone’s going to get really hurt.”
Another resident said she believed boy-racer types headed to the area because the roads were so wide and unmarked.
“After raining it’s like Meremere raceway we call it.”
The roads were marked from the “huge burnouts” and she said something happened nearly every day.
“It’s about safety. It’s someone’s child.”
The resident paid about $198 a week in rates and wanted something to change - preferably a speed bump to be installed but also hoped for road markings and stop or give way signs.
“Anything would help.”
The resident’s mother-in-law first asked the council for speed bumps about 20 years ago, she said.
She outlined her concerns in an email to mayor Tania Tapsell in January.
This included her understanding the council had agreed to put speed bumps in but took a back-burner when Covid-19 hit.
The response was that while Bidois Rd was deemed a priority area for traffic calming measures, residents were informed that timing for installation would depend on funding availability.
“Unfortunately due to the very financially challenging times we’re experiencing, there is no current budget within council for traffic calming projects.
“This is largely due to central Government priorities which have affected what subsidies NZTA provides to local councils and how these can be used.
“Because we rely on this NZTA funding to help cover the costs of such projects, and in acknowledgment of feedback from locals on affordable rates and reduced spending, our council voted to delay funding for these projects for three years until our community is in a position to better afford these additional costs, or until we receive adequate funding from NZTA.”
Tapsell said requests and concerns were being recorded and was notifying the police of dangerous driving locations.
“It’s important to note that traffic calming measures are generally used to reduce speed and by themselves are unlikely to influence irresponsible behaviour.
“We encourage you to continue to report reckless and dangerous driving to the police on either 111 while its happening, or 105 after its happened.”
She acknowledged it was not the immediate outcome they would have hoped for but community safety was a top priority for the council and was “working hard with the limited resources we have to make as much of an impact as we can for our district”.
When was the road identified as a priority area?
How much does it cost for a road to have markings painted?
For a stop or give way sign?
Why does this area not have any markings or signs?
On: “It’s important to note that traffic calming measures are generally used to reduce speed and by themselves are unlikely to influence irresponsible behaviour.
“We encourage you to continue to report reckless and dangerous driving to the police on either 111 while its happening, or 105 after its happened.”
The council has in the past noted how speed impacts severity of accidents. The road stems from a SH, and traffic can include heavy vehicles at the top end with families at the other.
With these things in mind, as well as the boy-racer concerns, how does the council view the importance of installing traffic calming measures in this area?
I asked the police how common an occurrence dangerous driving was in that area and the reply was: the road policing manager just came straight back to me and said nothing springs to mind regarding that location.
Has the council been passing on concerns? How often? As often as complaints come in?
Any other comment?
Reporter asked NZTA similar questions regarding this matter:
How much does it cost for a road to have markings painted?
For a stop or give way sign?
The council and NZTA has in the past noted how speed impacts severity of accidents. The road stems from a SH, and traffic can include heavy vehicles at the top end with families at the other.
With these things in mind, as well as the boy-racer concerns, how does NZTA view the importance of installing traffic calming measures in this area?
Is NZTA aware of an issue with dangerous driving in that area and if so for how long?
What kinds of funding did NZTA provide the council for traffic calming measures/safety in the past and how has this changed and why?
Any other comment?
Response
From the Mayor’s office:
Reporter was informed Mayor Tapsell did not have anything to add to the response she had previously provided.
RLC organisation provided the following information:
From a Council spokesperson:
The intention of traffic calming measures is to slow down excessive speed of traffic, not with the expectation that we can prevent incidents from occurring because of irresponsible driver behaviour. So it’s really important people report illegal driving behaviour like speeding and “boy racing” to the police. You can call 111 if it’s happening now or report it by calling 105 or going online 105 Police Non-Emergency | New Zealand Police.
Council gets requests for traffic calming interventions like speed humps on an almost weekly basis and given limited budgets and resources we have to operate a priority list based on assessed risk, within the available resources.
When considering traffic calming measures an assessment is undertaken, resulting in a priority score based on factors like traffic volume and type, recorded vehicle speeds, reported speed-related crashes/injuries and proximity to community facilities that generate pedestrian traffic (eg schools/ECE centres, rest homes, marae, parks, halls). The assessment determines if traffic calming measures are warranted and we then determine what type of traffic calming is most appropriate.
Council has a limited budget for such interventions so timing of implementation of any traffic calming always depends on funding availability. There is currently no budget for traffic calming projects due to changes in central Government priorities which affects subsidies NZTA provides to councils and Council decisions to delay funding for these types of projects for three years.
When was the road identified as a priority area?
The risk assessment of the need for traffic calming intervention on Bidois Rd was completed in 2021.
How much does it cost for a road to have markings painted? For a stop or give way sign?
This depends on the type of marking. A ‘give way’ treatment would be about $100-$200. A new ‘stop’ or ‘give way’ sign wold likely be about $300 to $500.
Why does this area not have any markings or signs?
This area is a typical residential area with low traffic volumes and does not require line marking. In such areas an uncontrolled intersection is generally used where a low volume road (eg Tapsell Rd) meets a T intersection (eg Bidois Rd) – normal give way rules apply.
On: “It’s important to note that traffic calming measures are generally used to reduce speed and by themselves are unlikely to influence irresponsible behaviour.
“We encourage you to continue to report reckless and dangerous driving to the police on either 111 while its happening, or 105 after its happened.”
The council has in the past noted how speed impacts severity of accidents. The road stems from a SH, and traffic can include heavy vehicles at the top end with families at the other.
With these things in mind, as well as the boy-racer concerns, how does the council view the importance of installing traffic calming measures in this area?
Council has limited budgets, timing depends on priority ratings (as explained above) and funding availability and there is currently no budget allocated for these types of projects.
Has the council been passing on concerns? How often? As often as complaints come in?
Between May 2023 and now, council has received three calls from one person requesting traffic calming measures on Bidois Rd. If people call about speed-related driving that is happening at the time, we advise them to call police. Council does not keep a record of calls referred to the police.
NZTA provided the following response:
Some of your questions re costs for measures on local roads – and boy racer concerns – need to be directed to the Rotorua Lakes Council as the road controlling authority for these local roads, or NZ Police.
Every road controlling authority has different contracts and costs. Rotorua Lakes Council is also responsible for the management of road safety issues on their network, which includes prioritising any road safety improvement works, including traffic calming measures.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) co-funds some Council programmes of work through Funding Assistance Rates (FAR) and the National Land Transport Programme (24-27 NLTP), which is directed by the Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS). NZTA co-invests in the Rotorua Lakes Council emergency works, maintenance, operations and renewals, road safety promotion (education) and resilience improvement transport work programmes. The FAR rate for the 24-27 NLTP is 57% for Rotorua Lakes Council (i.e NZTA fund 57% of approved programmes.)Normal funding assistance rates | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
The current policy settings in the GPS mean that any proposed new traffic calming measures can’t be co-funded by NZTA in the 24-27 NLTP. Funding allocations made in the NLTP must align with the policy settings of the current GPS. The overall strategic direction of the GPS prioritises economic growth through road capacity expansion and travel time improvements. The clear direction is to prioritise progress on the Roads of National Significance, roading improvement and maintenance, and key Public Transport projects to deliver these objectives.
Although traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps and safety platforms can reduce traffic speeds, these type of treatments will often prove ineffective where the issue is blatant disregard for the law and road rules designed for public safety. Increased police presence and/or enforcement may be the best approach in discouraging dangerous driving in the area concerned.
More detail from the GPS here:
GPS pg 31 – Local Road Improvements Activity Class
“The Government expects that funding in this activity class will not be used to invest in other new multi-modal improvements, i.e., cycleways and busways, or fund traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, raised crossings and in-lane bus stops, which inconvenience motorists.”
“Funding may be used to remove speed bumps, raised crossings and in-lane bus stops that exist on high volume urban connectors and arterial routes.”
GPS pg 33 Safety Activity Class
“The Government expects that investment from this activity class will not be made in traffic calming measures such as raised pedestrian crossings, raised platforms, speed bumps, and in-lane bus stops on state highways and local roads.”
You can learn about the National Land Transport Programme here – and access previous NLTPs which detail regional funding.
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/national-land-transport-programme/
