Residents of a small coastal community in the Coromandel have hit a roadblock with ongoing pleas for speed restrictions. 

The Little Bay community has been pleading for the measures since 2017, and demanding the Thames-Coromandel District Council take action. 

The community has been asking for speed limits to be changed from 100km/h to 50km/h on Waikawau and Tuateawa roads, 30km/h on Little Bay Drive, plus the installation of slow-down signs on Little Bay Drive. 

However, council staff are unable to give an estimate on when any new speed limits will be created and have confirmed no budget exists in the 10-year plan to finance an investigation or cost benefit analysis. 

A report to the Coromandel-Colville Community Board said central government had indicated it would repeal current legislation on speed limits and replace it with a new act in November with the new Speed Management Act expected to require all speed limits established under the previous act to be repealed at the council’s expense. 

Until the new act was published the council could not take any actions as it could not guarantee the content of the act and any actions taken may be “abortive” under the new legislation. 

Once it was published, if it took the expected form, the council would have to establish a policy and procedure. 

Danny Topia, chairman of the Little Bay Ratepayers Association, said the group had made a submission to the council about seven years ago, which had since resulted in warning signs being installed, but the speed limit was still to be “officially” reduced. 

Everything was in place, the signage had been put up, the roads had been painted, but the community had not yet had any speed limit applied. 

Topia said the Coromandel-Colville Community Board had backed residents’ pleas for speed limit changes but could not understand why the council had not acted. 

“When I talked to them, they were going to have the speed limits changed before Christmas. The community board have tried their best to have it implemented.” 

At its meeting in June the community board requested the council prepare a report for council to consider a speed limit reduction for the Little Bay area and for works to start as soon as possible. 

Topia said he had talked to the Coromandel Colville Community Board, saying he had seen some very close calls. 

Coromandel-Colville Community Board member and district councillor John Morrisey said he was aware of the situation. 

“The reason it is not going ahead is that we have had a change of Government; it is a major thing they are undertaking, it will cost the Hamilton City Council $1 million. 

“The legislation is coming through in November and the community board is in support of the Little Bay speed changes. 

“Danny is right, we could do it, but the Government is changing legislation; we took it to the council, got it approved and the engineer came back to us with the recommendations. 

“It hasn’t been forgotten; we are just trying to deal with a change in legislation.” 

The group’s 2017 submission stated the Tuateawa Rd speed limit was 100km/h through an area where children boarded school buses. 

Little Bay residents and visitors had expressed safety concerns for all pedestrians as well, especially children who walked to the beach from their homes and the Department of Conservation camp. 

In April Topia told the Hauraki-Coromandel Post that since the submission, there had been a lot of emails going back and forth, however, he had not received any communications to outline why the speed limit was not being changed or what needed to be done to do this. 

“It just seems to be so simple to me,” Topia said at the time. 

Coromandel Colville Community Board chairman Gavin Jeffcoat earlier said the board understood Topia’s anger and frustration. 

He said there had been ongoing concerns about speed limits in and out of the community. 

Jeffcoat said despite the measures already undertaken, the board still believed the speed limit needed to be reduced from 100km/h to 50km/h. 

The board supported Topia’s proposal and would have liked to see the town speed limit reduced before next summer, he said. 

Jeffcoat said while the previous Government had set a speed limit plan in motion, the new Government had different ideas about setting speed limits. 

He said the Thames-Coromandel District Council had to work alongside the Government in making any changes to speed limits.