A proposal to lower the speeds for motorists who travel past school gates doesn't go quite far enough according to those who have been lobbying for change.
The Government is looking to standardise school speed zones nationwide but campaigners for slower speeds are alarmed at how long it will take for every one of New Zealand’s schools to be made safer.
Lucinda Rees from the lobby group, NZ School Speeds, has campaigned for lower speed limits for 14 years.
“This should be a safe zone for children and it’s not,” she says, standing outside Swannanoa School in northwest Christchurch.
While the Government’s proposal is in progress, she's worried a maximum of 30km/h to 40km/h outside urban schools and 60km/h outside rural schools is inconsistent.
“If we had consistent thirty at peak times everybody would know what happens,” she told 1 NEWS.
But the Automobile Association (AA) is right behind the change, saying a sudden drop from 100km/h could be just as much a problem.
“Trying to improve around safety for kids could actually create some of its own safety issues if you end up with some people trying to slow straight down,” says Dylan Thomsen of AA New Zealand.
Another major concern - changes wouldn't have to be completed until 2029.
“Why don't we want to keep our children safe now? What is the compromise we're willing to make? asks Lake Rerewhakaaitu school parent, Amanda Armer.
The Transport Minister Michael Woods says that time frame is realistic given the number of schools involved.
“We do need to allow councils a bit of time to make sure that we do the job properly but I have put in an interim target of getting 40 per cent of these changes done around schools, by 2024,” Wood says.
Swannanoa School has had to take matters into its own hands, erecting temporary fencing so children can be dropped off inside the school grounds to avoid buses dropping them off on the busy road where cars won't slow down.
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