Speeding drivers are a daily problem for south Auckland residents.

TO Torika Tokalaulocal democracy reporter

Residents in Auckland’s south suburbs fear a child could be seriously injured, or worse, killed, unless action is taken to reduce the speed of drivers on their streets.

Residents at Randwick Park in Manurewa said speeding drivers were a daily occurrence near Riverton Road and Hyperion Drive, with some cars crashing into fences.

There were two schools along the roads, and only a raised walkway slowed down drivers.

“It’s like a race track here,” Maria Haurua said.

She lived on the road near Riverton and often saw drivers drive by carelessly.

“In the morning, when children go to school, they speed… some even burn out.

“People are speeding all the time and it’s really worrying because there are a number of schools on these roads.”

She said the only traffic calming measure on the straight section of Riverton Road was a raised crossing in front of Randwick Park School.

“It slows them down a bit, but then they go straight back to speeding. Here they use it as a race track.”

Former resident Peter Haverland knows the problem of speeding all too well.

He now lives with his family in Australia and still owns a house in Manurewa on the corner of Hyperion Drive, which he rents out.

“Cars crashed into our fence three times. Another time, a car knocked down a light pole on our property,” Haverland said.

The first time this happened was a year after they bought the area.

“It was the middle of the night, the driver was young, with a limited license, drunk, with four passengers.

“It crashed into our fence and into a tree… if the tree wasn’t there, it would have crashed right into the master bedroom.”

Haverland said no one was hurt, but it was a “pretty shocking” experience.

The second accident occurred a few years later when a female driver speeding down Hyperion Road crashed into their fence, swerved at the last minute and crashed into their deck.

Haverland said it was the middle of the day.

“My two-week-old daughter was sleeping in her room. If the driver hadn’t swerved onto the deck, she would have crashed into her bedroom.”

The third accident happened when they moved in and their tenant had this last year.

Haurua and the Randwick Park Residents Association raised their concerns at a Manurewa local council meeting on Thursday.

“Our residents are deeply concerned about the safety of children, especially during school hours and around our local stores,” she said.

“Speeding and reckless driving, including burnouts, have made these areas unsafe. We ask, what can be done to prevent a serious accident?”

Residents suggested several strategies to slow traffic, including installing speed bumps, adding garden turns to naturally slow down speeds and improving signage.

The Manurewa local board responded by saying it would support their concerns when they were raised with Auckland Transport.

Chairman Matt Winiata said they could put residents in touch with an AT representative to discuss the issue.

LDR is local journalism jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.