Constant graffitiing of a stretch of highway in Tauranga is "downgrading the city", says one resident, who is calling for the culprits to be caught.
A section of State Highway 2 is being targeted by taggers. Photo: LDR / Sun Media / John Borren
Graeme Devereaux is fed up with seeing the tagging along State Highway 2 each day, when he drops his children at school.
The vandalism happens along walls on 15th Avenue at the start of SH2 and a large concrete wall further along SH2 on Takitimu Drive.
"It seems to be graffitied once every couple of weeks and then the council go along and paint it out and then it happens again, it's like a loop," Devereaux told Local Democracy Reporting.
"It downgrades the city. I mean, who wants to go to a city with tagging and graffiti all over the place, who wants to live in a city like that?
"Something needs to be done to try and catch the culprits."
He suggested installing cameras along that stretch to try and identify the vandals.
"I hope that something is done and not in the distant future, but in the near future. Otherwise it'll just keep on going, and it'll get worse.
"When I first came to Tauranga it was never like this, we didn't have anywhere near as much graffiti as what we've got at the moment," said Devereaux, who has lived in Tauranga for 10 years.
"It's on the motorway columns, overpasses, it's all over the place. There's graffiti on people's fences.
"The city looks terrible. Graffiti is ruining the city."
There is a lot more graffiti now compared to 10 years ago, Graeme Devereaux says. Photo: LDR / Sun Media / John Borren
He was concerned about the cost of having to constantly paint out the tags.
"They must be spending huge amounts of money paying these people to go paint this graffiti out, only to find that in a few days' time or a week's time it's back.
"So, wouldn't it be cheaper to put cameras up there to try and catch these people?"
Waka Kotahi rules out use of cameras
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty system manager Roger Brady said the agency was aware that section of Takitimu Drive was often targeted.
"All graffiti in urban Tauranga is removed by Tauranga City Council contractors on our behalf," Brady said.
He said Waka Kotahi does not hold information on the sites, dates or times that graffiti was cleaned around the region.
When asked if the agency had considered the use of cameras as a deterrent for vandals, Brady replied: "Waka Kotahi does not currently fund the installation of additional CCTV cameras on the network for graffiti monitoring purposes."
"Current funding is allocated to existing CCTV assets that play an important part in ensuring the safety and efficiency of the Tauranga and wider Bay of Plenty state highway network."
He said road safety safety issues included potholes and other surfacing issues but not graffiti.
Tauranga City Council transport director Brendan Bisley said the cost of removing graffiti depended on the size and location of the vandalism, and whether traffic management was needed to remove it safely.
Bisley said council had a budget of $180,000 per year to provide graffiti removal services.
"Graffiti, or tagging, is a serious crime that affects the whole community, and requires a strong community response," he said.
"The best way people can take action against tagging is by cleaning it up as soon as possible."
The council provided a free graffiti removal service for residential and small business owners who were unable to remove it themselves, said Bisley.
To be eligible for the service the graffiti must be visible from the road, he said.
Local Democracy Reporting asked Bisley what people should do if they saw graffiti or someone tagging.
If it was racist or contained bad language, they should call the council immediately on 07 577 7000, he said.
Serious vandalism should be reported to the police, Bisley said.
"People who see vandalism taking place should not approach the offender. Rather, they should call 111 from a safe distance, and keep watching or take a photo if possible."
"The safety of our community is our primary concern and we encourage anyone who see suspicious activity to phone 111 immediately," he said.
Graffiti on council-owned assets and infrastructure, including roads and highways, should be reported to the council and on private businesses to the affected business.
When asked to comment on whether graffiti was "downgrading the city" Bisley replied: "Working together to reduce vandalism in Tauranga helps to create a city we can all be proud of."
Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the News Publishers' Association and NZ On Air.
