Help is on the way for pedestrians who say they risk their safety along Settlement Drive in Papakura every time they walk in the area.
Papakura Local Board had taken residents’ concerns about heavy vehicles, red-light running, and speeding drivers to Auckland Transport (AT), asking the organisation to investigate safety issues in the residential area.
“People are getting increasingly upset at the numbers of drivers who ignore speed limits in the area.
“They are also fed up with the number of heavy vehicles rumbling along the road and they continue to report people running red lights, something that endangers their children’s safety,” board chair Brent Catchpole says.
“Running red lights is a problem at Opāheke Road and Settlement Road and we’ve asked AT to take a look at issues in the area because the safety of our people is important to us.
“Many, many children use the route to go to and from school and it’s impossible to believe drivers can disregard their safety for their own convenience.”
And as part of the feedback on Auckland Transport’s Interim Speed Management Plan – which identifies roads where speed limits should be reduced – the board has submitted a list of streets it believes should be reviewed as staff develop the plan.
Settlement Road and Opāheke Road are both included, along with Hingaia, Walters, Old Wairoa, Pararekau, Kelvin, Boundary, Grove and Beach roads; and Harbourside and Te Napi drives.
“We support the Vision Zero goal of no road deaths by 2050. Our road toll is terrible and everyone of those deaths is someone’s loved one.
“It’s easy to claim speed limits are out of hand and that it’s safe to drive at high speed. It’s not so easy to live with having killed or injured a child because you were going too fast.”
