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A stream of complaints about a newly-installed speed hump on Molesworth Drive has triggered a Kaipara District Council investigation.
Local drivers have taken to social media to voice concerns, claiming the hump – installed in late September to slow traffic accessing the new Gull self service station – is significantly higher than standard specifications, and is causing damage to the undersides of their cars.
Many posts shared negative experiences, including owners of legally lowered cars, who say that even when approaching the hump at speeds under five kilometres an hour, their vehicles’ undersides and exhaust systems still scrape. One Mustang driver said he crosses at an angle to avoid contact with the hump, which forces him over the centre line.
Mangawhai Taxis, who laid one of the 26 official complaints to KDC, reported their fleet of long-wheelbase vans sustained damage despite being driven at speeds under 10 km/h. Scrape marks have also been spotted on the hump itself.
Kaipara deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen was alerted to the unfolding problem and took the matter to council staff.
“I’ve had lots of people contacting me with suggestions on how to make improvements and I’ll be pushing to get a practical outcome,” he says. “This is an increasingly busy section of road and needs to be safe, but it also needs to be practical for motorists.”
In response to the community’s concerns, council chief executive Jason Marris said that the hump, officially called a speed table, might feel ‘bumpier’ than usual due to its placement on a sloped section of the road.
“As the hump is specifically designed to slow traffic entering the Gull station, its purpose and design differ from the courtesy-raised pedestrian crossings nearby, which feature a flatter top,” Marris says.
“Our roading team’s on-site observations confirmed that vehicles adhering to the reduced speed limit are able to traverse the speed table without issue.”
The dimensions of the speed table were reviewed and approved by the now-disbanded Northland Transportation Alliance and KDC’s roading team, and were peer-reviewed by an external consultancy. Construction was carried out in accordance with the resource consent application.
However, the approved design did not include information about height requirements.
Instead, this was decided by measurements taken from the raised pedestrian crossing north of the new speed hump, Marris says.
“With all the public feedback we’ve received, we’re taking this seriously, so the height of the speed table above the existing road surface remains under investigation.”
