Tauranga principals have given the government’s proposal to raise the legal driving age to 16 the thumbs up. Bethlehem College Principal Phillip Nash says while he might be supportive of the proposal his students are not happy about the idea because the school is located on the outskirts of Tauranga and students from all over the Bay of Plenty travel there. Phillip acknowledges it will cause inconvenience for students but says statistics prove young people are over represented in More...

Major road works are now underway on Wharf Street.  While the work is being done, Wharf Street is reduced to one lane for traffic coming from Cameron Road towards the Strand.  The work involves reconstructing and resurfacing the road and installing new kerb and channelling.  Additional work includes upgrading the sewer, stormwater, watermains, and some parts of the footpath. This information from New Zealand Transport Agency weekly bulletin for the week beginning Monday, March More...

The president of the Bay of Plenty Young Farmers Association is sceptical that raising the legal driving age to 16 will reduce the number of serious crashes involving teens. Minister of Transport Steven Joyce announced on Wednesday that he is taking a package of measures to cabinet this month, including raising the driving age to 16 and a zero blood alcohol limit for young drivers. New Zealand Young Farmer president Richard Fowler with wife Amy. The proposal to raise the legal driving age More...

A start is expected soon on installing traffic lights for the intersection of Golf and Oceanbeach roads. The lights are part of a package prompted in part by local residents concerned about pedestrian safety in the vicinity of the shops by Surf Road. “Within the next three weeks there should be a start on the ground,” says Tauranga City Council transportation operations manager Martin Parkes. “I would say a few weeks after Easter we should be up and running,” says More...

Major road works are under way on Kairua Road between number R194 and the intersection with Welcome Bay Road. The work will involve some earthworks to improve bends, reconstructing and resurfacing the road, installing new kerb and channeling, and upgrading stormwater and a water main.  Some disruption to traffic can be expected at times and there will be speed restrictions in place. The work is expected to take about 10 weeks to complete. This information from New Zealand Transport More...

Traffic using the Marsh Street overbridge is reduced to one lane this week while the bridge joint is cut out and replaced. The steel expansion joint in the centre of the overbridge is being removed because it is too noisy. The bridge joint is being cut out and replaced. This information from New Zealand Transport Agency weekly bulletin, for the week beginning Monday, Febraury 22, published below.   Temporary Changes to Bus Stops:  For the next few months all Bay Hopper More...

Tauranga City Council is advising people travelling south on Route K, towards Tauriko and Hamilton, to use State Highway 2 instead on Monday morning. Resealing work of a 700m stretch of road is being done on the Route K south bound access from 5am Monday morning and delays are expected there until midday. The suggested detour is use State Highway 2 to Bethlehem and then via Moffat Road. Access to Bethlehem and State Highway 2 via Takitimu Drive and northbound lanes into the city will More...

Tauranga motorcyclist Andrew Hardisty will battle it out against riders from around New Zealand at the annual Paeroa Battle of the Streets on Sunday, February 21. “The motorcycle street race is a one day high impact event that always runs on the third full weekend of February, traditionally the hottest weekend of the year,” says Andrew. “It’s a challenging circuit that takes no prisoners and is a fantastic race day for spectators to enjoy.” Eleven classes More...

The New Zealand Transport Agency is warning of possible delays when traffic on the Marsh Street overbridge is reduced to a single lane next week for a scheduled upgrade. The work, part of finishing the Harbour Link Project, includes replacing one bridge deck joint on the bridge and some associated road resurfacing. While the lane closure is in place, temporary traffic lights will be positioned at each end of the overbridge to manage traffic as a one-way, stop-go operation. Weather More...

Tauranga builder Rodney Wood is describing his victory at the New Zealand Sprint Car Championship as “sweet”. An amateur racer, it was a big effort for him to beat the favoured American drivers, who are professionals. See below for video highlight of Rodney’s win at the New Zealand Sprint Car Championship. “It was a very sweet victory because they were professional drivers from the US and they drive full-time for a living and go to 80 to 100 race meetings a year and More...