Why is Tauranga City Council wasting ratepayers' money on full page advertisement in the daily newspaper promoting seat belts and vehicle restraints? I do not believe it is the city council's job to promote vehicle safety requirements. There are government-funded organisations to do that. Or is it the city council has so much money?

Like they have demonstrated by placing traffic signals just for cyclist on Ninth Ave intersection with Cameron Rd. The council still have never reported as to why they cut done the magnificent oak tree in that roundabout. Was it because it was not a native tree?

Jim Sherlock, Parkvale.

TCC replies: Tauranga City Council receives funding from Waka Kotahi to support road safety promotion in our local area, so these messages are done in partnership through the Travel Safe team.
Unfortunately when attending serious crashes, adults are still regularly not wearing seatbelts, and children are not safely secured in car seats. Distraction continues to be a high focus area, and within our city, we don't need to look far to see someone driving while talking on their phones. Within Tauranga City, our local Road Policing unit has been regularly ticketing about 30 drivers in the mornings and again in the afternoons talking on their phones while driving.

We are installing new ‘smart' traffic lights along Cameron Rd that have different buttons for pedestrians and cyclists to help with traffic flow. Because cyclists take less time to cross the road than pedestrians, the bicycle button will provide less time to cross the road, meaning drivers will get a green light faster (if there are no pedestrians).

Sadly, an elderly woman on a mobility scooter was killed while trying to cross Ninth Ave in 2018. The tree at the Ninth Ave roundabout was cut down in preparation for replacement of the roundabout with new traffic lights, which will make it safer for people to cross here.

Work is scheduled to begin this weekend, Sunday, July 2, on the Ninth Ave intersection in preparation for this.