Timing error is clocked on draft sign
"It kind of triggered a string of events."
Calley Whale
An example of a new sign warning boy racers they are banned from a Taranaki industrial estate during the evening has a single crucial error - it bans them during the day instead.
A sample sign in the agenda for the New Plymouth District Council’s planning committee yesterday afternoon would have banned vehicles under 3500kgs from driving through the area around Bell Block between 7am and 7pm.
But the ban is actually in force from 7pm to 7am.
Meeting chairwoman Stacey Hitchcock said the mistake would be rectified and changed.
The bylaw was back before the council because the current signs have been deemed inadequate by the district court following a legal battle with a driver.
Last year Brady Whale, then 19, was stopped by police and fined $750 under the ‘boy racer’ bylaw when he was caught driving through the area one evening.
Whale and his mother, Calley, argued that he was not aware of the law because the signs could not be seen and the court found in their favour.
So, the New Plymouth District Council has amended the bylaw and put an example of its new signage into Wednesday’s agenda which is where the error was spotted.
A report to the meeting said: ‘‘The original signs contained more information than necessary, were not readable in the dark and were not able to be read from a moving vehicle travelling at least on the upper limit on the road speed restriction.’’
And while the council was assessing the design issue raised by the court case, officers identified another issue with the bylaw signage - the large number of signs required to advise of the prohibition, the report said.
Mayor Neil Holdom said the council did not want ‘at risk’ behaviour in that area of New Plymouth.
‘‘These changes reflect that our industrial areas are growing. Many businesses in the area didn’t exist when these bylaws were put in place.’’
Yesterday’s meeting recommended the full council approve the changes to the bylaw.
If approved by the full council next month the new signs will be put in the industrial areas round Bell Block/Rifle Range Roads and in the Egmont, Hurlstone and Katere Roads areas to prohibit vehicles under 3500kgs from driving through between 7pm and 7am.
Before the meeting Calley Whale said neither she or nor her son had any issues with the bylaw or having restrictions in place.
‘‘It was just the fact the signage - none of it was readable or done properly, but it was being enforced.
‘‘That’s why we went to court. We’ve no issue with the restrictions as long as they’re done well and done right.’’
The council had taken a long time to make the changes, she said.
‘‘We went to court on June 6 last year.’’
Brady had been driving home along Corbett Rd in Bell Block when hew as pulled over by police and fined $750 for ‘‘using a motor vehicle under 3500kg in a prohibited area’’.
Since the court case a couple of her son’s friends have had their fines refunded, she said.
‘‘It kind of triggered a string of events. It wasn’t our intention. It kind of became bigger than we thought it would.’’