One week into ACG Tauranga's first term and a Pyes Pa resident is calling for swift action on the school's exit on to State Highway 36, amid fears it is an accident waiting to happen.

Merrick Road resident Lloyd Klee remains concerned as to why resource consent was given for this development to go ahead, considering the safer option of Keenan Road exists nearby.

Pyes Pa resident Lloyd Klee outside ACG Tauranga's exit on to State Highway 36. Photo: Chris Callinan.

Situated on the corner of Keenan Road and Pyes Pa Road (SH 36), the school opened its doors last Monday to around 40 students, with this number predicted to grow to about 700 students and 70 staff by 2019.

The road's speed limit is currently restricted to 50km/h due to continuing work on the exit, but that limit is due to go back up to 100km/h once the work is completed.

'I will put money on that there will be an accident very quickly,” says Lloyd. 'Not that I want one.”

'It appears to me that there was no reason that the entry and exit from the school should not be via Keenan Roadm, which would force all traffic through a stop sign.”

'Why was this not a mandatory requirement?”

A traffic analysis based on the 700 students and 70 staff in BECA Consultant's report submitted to Western Bay of Plenty District Council suggest the current morning traffic flow is 792 vehicles per hour, and that the school will add 619 vehicles per hour – a 78 per cent increase.

But Lloyd believes the school traffic flow will in fact be condensed to a 20-minute window, between 8am and 8.20am, therefore multiplying the additional 619 vehicles by three equalling 1857 vehicle movements in the 20 minute period – a 300 per cent increase.

'That exit on to Pyes Pa Road is also going to include a right turn to go towards Rotorua when there is a roundabout 100m down the road,” he adds.

'There is no need for the traffic to turn right to Rotorua - they can turn left, go round the roundabout and go to Rotorua. That would have been safe. That would have been mitigating risk.”

'At the end of the day, how long do we wait until someone gets killed?”

An ACG Tauranga spokesperson says rather than have an entrance/exit driveway the school has opted for an entrance off Keenan Road and the exit on to SH36 – something the New Zealand Transport Agency has approved.

'We designed it specifically with safety in mind where we wanted a one-way system through the school so people didn't have to turn round and exit,” they explained.

'The design of the exit encourages people to turn left.

'We worked very closely with NZTA in designing this and I'm very proud to say we were one of the only developments ever to receive an approval from NZTA for our design.”

With construction on the exit still about three weeks away from completion, the small amount of school traffic is going in and out of Keenan Road up until its opening.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council and NZTA are currently formulating a response to Lloyd's concerns.