‘‘An accident waiting to happen’’
Every morning during the school run, teachers and parents hold their breath as the bus loaded with young children pulls into Umawera School.
Located in the Far North on State Highway 1, they’re terrified a truck or car will come hurtling up the hill and crash into it.
They’ve been asking the Government for something to be done for a decade.
And a string of internal emails obtained by show the Far North District Council’s attempts to get road safety measures introduced at Umawera and Oruaiti schools have also been painfully slow.
The correspondence between New Zealand Transport Agency and Far North Mayor John Carter dates back to November 2015.
It shows repeated pleas by an increasingly frustrated Carter including one stating: ‘‘Can you please see if we can get this resolved before one of the current students becomes the Prime Minister!’’
NZTA would not comment on the emails. Both schools have recently heard they’re getting new signage early next year.
Umawera School Principal Christine Gilmore says a car accident 10 years ago prompted them to ask for safety measures.
A car was turning to drop a student off when another vehicle came around the blind corner, clipped it and spun it around, she says.
The 41-pupil school is on a blind corner in a valley, she says, ‘‘so loggers and traffic rush down one hill to get enough speed to go up the other.’’
After the crash the NZTA ’’came round and took photos and decided nothing could be done’’, she says. So the school invested in fluorescent vests, which are now compulsory for students to wear to and from school.
‘‘It’s exceedingly dangerous, it’s an accident waiting to happen...my biggest fear is that it will be our bus,’’ Gilmore says.
‘‘We don’t want anything major, all we want is 70kmh past the school during the time of school buses. At least our students will be safe.’’
Oruaiti School Principal Diane Bates says the school, on State Highway 10 in Mangonui, has been asking for improvements for at least five years.
Vehicles usually do more than 100kmh past the school, which is also near a blind corner, she says.
‘‘I cringe every time I see the buses trying to cross. One day a truck is going to come around and t-bone it.’’
Carter says he will also keep pushing for reduced speed limits at some schools.
‘‘It’s been frustratingly slow, but to be fair to them [NZTA], they have been planning how they can address all the schools on their state highways right across the north - that’s quite a big job.
‘‘I’d prefer that they were reduced at some schools... This is our children we’re talking about.’’
NZTA Northland Highway Manager Brett Gliddon says signage upgrades were planned for a number of schools in Northland over the next couple of months.
Oruaiti School will see signs installed informing motorists of a 60kmh speed limit through the school zone, while there will be an electronic Parent and Child warning sign installed outside Umawera School, he says.
Several other schools in the Far North will have upgrades to the signs in their area to increase driver awareness. These improvements are expected to be in place before the start of the new school year in 2017.