Karoro School in Greymouth. Photo: Supplied / Google
A Greymouth school plea for the NZ Transport Agency to do something about traffic on the road outside has been characterised as "emotional" but it has been backed by the West Coast regional transport committee.
A frustrated Karoro School has recently taken the step of commissioning an independent consultant - at a cost of about $8000 - to try and persuade the agency the school community's safety issues are urgent.
"I'm a parent at the school and it can be an emotive issue when you are talking about children. As a parent, what length do we have to go? As a board, I feel like we've done everything we possibly can do," Karoro School board chairwoman Suzi Taylor said today.
"Do we need a tragedy before we have a change here?"
She felt the issue had been batted around for years and nothing had advanced.
"It's an ongoing issue and it's an accident waiting to happen," Taylor said.
"We see on a daily basis the risks people are taking - it's a worry."
The speed limit past the school was brought up at the West Coast Regional Transport Committee this week.
Committee Grey representative Peter Haddock, in his report about road safety, said he wanted the committee to seek formal feedback from the agency to address several issues, including at Karoro.
Haddock said at a previous meeting with the NZTA about Karoro they had been told "we were playing on our emotions".
"But really, it's only a matter of time and accident or fatality occurs there," he said.
"It would be good to see that addressed."
He also noted Paroa School had similar issues with people entering the 80kph zone at Paroa from the open road 100kph and missing the flashing 40kph school warning signs.
NZTA regional relationships director James Caygill, said the Karoro issue fell straight into the new Road to Zero rules and the current 70kph zone would go.
"That speed's coming down - it will not stay at its current speed. I can promise you that," he said.
A member of the NZTA speed review, Mike Creamer, said the timing for all speed limit changes was by the end of 2027, "as the final point".
However, he understood a review of all of the 260-plus school zones on State highways was expected in the interim.
Taylor said the board had sought meetings with NZTA but was recently told "they won't look at it until 2024".
"I've been on the board for four to five years. It;s been an issue for year on year ... I think as a board and a school, we've done all that we can possibly for now."
The board had surveyed the school community, developed its own transport plan and looked at various ways to mitigate the traffic hazard for children and families accessing the school across State highway 6.
Taylor said the board felt it had no option but to commission a consultant "at our own cost" to try and get some traction with NZTA.
The review had now been sent on to the agency.
"We just decided we thought it was necessary."
The board had sought meetings with NZTA but invariably the effort was "very quickly shut down".
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
