By Torika Tokalau of Local Democracy Reporting
Residents of a South Auckland suburb fear a child could be seriously injured, or worse killed, if steps aren’t taken to reduce the speed of drivers on their streets.
Randwick Park residents in Manurewa say speeding drivers were a daily occurrence near Riverton Rd and Hyperion Drive – with some cars crashing into fences.
The roads had two schools along them, with only a raised crossing to slow down drivers.
“It’s like a racing track out here,” Maria Haurua said.
She lived on a road off Riverton and often saw drivers speeding through carelessly.
“In the morning when the kids are going to school they’re speeding … some even doing burnouts.
“People are speeding all the time, it’s really concerning because there are a few schools on these roads.”
She said the only traffic calming measure on the straight stretch of Riverton Rd was a raised crossing in front of Randwick Park School.
“That slows them down a bit but after that it’s straight back to speeding. They use it like a race track here.”
Former resident Peter Haverland knows the speeding issue only too well.
Now living in Australia with his family, he still owned his Manurewa home on the corner of Hyperion Dr which he’s rented out.
“Three occasions I’ve had cars crash into our fence. Another occasion a car took out the lamp post in our section,” Haverland said.
The first time it happened was a year after they bought into the neighbourhood.
“It was the middle of the night, the driver was young with a restricted licence, drunk, and had four passengers.
“He crashed into our fence, and into a tree .. if the tree wasn’t there, he would have crashed right into the master bedroom.”
Haverland said no one was hurt but it was a “pretty shocking” experience.
The second crash, a few years later, a female driver speeding through Hyperion St crashed into their fence, swerved at the last minute and hit their deck.
Haverland said it was the middle of the day.
“My two week-old daughter was sleeping in her room. If the driver hadn’t swerved to the deck, she would have crashed into her bedroom.”
The third crash was when they had moved, which their tenant experienced last year.
Haurua and the Randwick Park Residents Association took their concerns to the Manurewa Local Board meeting on Thursday.
“Our residents are deeply worried about the safety of children, particularly during school hours, and near our local shops,” she said.
“Speeding and reckless driving, including burnouts, have made these areas unsafe. We are asking, what can be done to prevent a serious accident?”
The residents suggested several strategies to slow traffic down including installing speed bumps, adding curves with gardens to naturally reduce speed and improving signage.
Manurewa Local Board in response said they would support their concerns when raised with Auckland Transport.
Chair Matt Winiata said they could connect the residents with an AT rep to discuss the issue.
