Take it easy at Tapuaeharuru

Sergeant McNally said police were happy to be supporting Council and their road safety partners on Roberts Street, and were checking speeds with handheld radar devices.

“We’re acknowledging people being good - and the people being not so good are getting a little chat,” he said.

“When they are good, we’re giving them a coffee voucher and thanking them for going 10km/h!” added Julie, who also noted that the majority of drivers understood the new dynamic of the lakefront and how it worked.

“We just want to let people know that while there is still road access for the lakefront businesses, the space around the ātea has changed. Many drivers doing more than 10km/h were surprised at how slow that actually is. 10km/h often means just idle speed or even with a little braking.”

Sergeant McNally says the space at Roberts Street has changed and people need to be a part of that change.

“So that means keeping your speed to walking pace. It’s 10km/h down here and we fully support this. It’s a beautiful environment and we want patrons and members of the public to be safe - so please comply!”