Speed limit set to drop on Onetangi Straight

BY: DIANA WORTHY

The speed limit along Onetangi Straight is set to be reduced to 60km/h if nearby residents give the thumbs up.

News of the proposed change came at the latest Waiheke Community Board meeting, with a memo from Auckland City Council.

It said a speed assessment survey had been done and the New Zealand Transport Agency had approved a reduction on Ostend and Onetangi Road from 80km/h to 60km/h.

But it said council has to consult affected residents, property owners and other key stakeholders before it can happen.

If it goes ahead, it will affect the stretch of road between Ostend's Erua Road intersection and the one in Onetangi at Waiata Road.

Once the consultation is finished, the results will go before the Waiheke Transport Committee for consideration and approval.

The change to the speed limit is the result of five years of fighting for a reduction by the community board, council planner Anthony Yates, and island GP Dr Rebecca Potts.

Dr Potts told the board more than a year ago she already had wide-spread backing from residents and police.

She spoke of having to repeatedly deal with accident victims injured as a result of the 80km/h limit along the stretch of road.

And she had read board members a letter from Mr Yates, who lives in Onetangi, backing up her argument.

His letter had said a reduction in speed along Onetangi Straight would reduce the potential for "traffic and pedestrian conflict" and would make it easier to achieve a safer, more efficient road network.

Now their bid for a safer road is likely to become a reality.

Dr Potts says she is delighted.

She says the board had originally requested a reduction to 50km/h but the new proposed limit of 60km/h would still be enough to make the road safer and more pleasant.

"They're looking at Onetangi Straight having a cycleway and footpath. This is the beginning of making our roads safer.

"Increasingly, we've got more and more tourists on mopeds. There are also lots of people wanting to walk, ride horses, and cycle along the roads.

"I'd like to thank the community board, which listened to lots of people and worked hard. Chairman Tony Sears kept on pushing it. It was great."

Community board deputy chairman and traffic spokesman Herb Romaniuk says he too is pleased by the news and wants to see even more reductions.

He says people should accept the new limit and ensure they stick to it although he thinks some will not.

"But they'll be caught in the fullness of time. As a community, let's lower the speed limit on Waiheke generally."

Fellow board member Eileen Evans agrees and is continuing her battle to see Blackpool Esplanade free of traffic altogether.

She says the news about Onetangi Straight is a good start though.

"I'm very pleased about this. Consultation is due to start very soon I think and there's just a couple more stages to go through.

"I'm a walker so I'd like to see limits reduced across the island."

Cycle Action Waiheke representative Tom Ransom wants to see an eventual move to between 40km/h and 60km/h for residential and rural roads.

Meanwhile, he thinks the proposed reduction along Onetangi Straight will help the group's application for National Cycleway funding and the island itself.

"The motto 'Slow down, you're here' is an excellent one to remember. It proudly declares Waiheke's special laid-back character as the one place you don't need to drive at the limit."

- Waiheke Marketplace