Eastern Bay of Plenty residents in communities along State Highway 2 are firing back at a proposed bylaw by Whakatane District Council, which plans to ban heavy vehicles travelling through Ohope.

The Draft Traffic and Speeds Bylaw 2018 proposes to prevent all heavy vehicle traffic from using Whakatane and Ohope urban areas unless they meet certain criteria.

Trucks larger than 12 tonnes won't be able to travel through Ohope unless they have a special permit or meet certain criteria.

Instead, they will be diverted through SH2 passing Taneatua and Nukuhou North.

Taneatua resident Tania Ramsay says she's opposed to the bylaw.

'We live in Taneatua on Hughes Place which is only three homes away from Tuhoe St and not far from where the road heads towards Whakatane and Pekatahi Bridge. This is where the speed zone changes from 50km/h to 100km/h.

'If this bylaw proceeds we will get a lot more heavy traffic through Taneatua and with no extra help from the council.

'Some trucks go really fast through the township and use their engine brakes.

'We have two children that attend Taneatua School which has no crossing at the moment outside the school and park, and we worry about their safety.”

She says a meeting has been arranged in the meantime, to arrange establishing a crossing at the school.

'I have been in contact with a Bay of Plenty NZTA representative. We went to a community board meeting about arranging a crossing at the school and we can expect an answer in March.

'I think Council care too much about Ohope and not enough about other little towns.”

Lanae Cable, another Tanetaua resident, says the bylaw is inconsiderate to all Matata, Edgecumbe and Taneatua residents.

'The heavy traffic should be shared throughout the region. I don't think it's fair we have to accommodate the increased load.

'Council says the bylaw was drafted due to safety and road maintenance. Does council put the safety of Ohope residents over the rest of us?

'Trucks come through here a lot already. They go right pass the school and there is no crossing. I'm forever worried about the kids' safety.

'Trucks also pass the shops and playground and kids are forever crossing that road. I think we have a right to be annoyed about this bylaw. Children's safety should be a priority to the council.”

Dylan Henderson, who lives in Ohope, says she doesn't feel the bylaw will impact her travel much at all.

'Every now and then I get stuck behind a large truck on my commute so I can imagine it would only slightly improve my time if this bylaw is to be introduced, however I don't feel significantly hindered by trucks and I travel to and from Ohope and Whakatane multiple times daily.

'I don't think it's fair to lump it all on the communities of Taneatua, Edgecumbe and Matata. To be completely honest I find it offensive and feel it sends a message that the council cares more about the people of Ohope than other areas.”

As a result of the Eastern Bay floods in April, a slip in the Taneatua gorge caused a large-scale closure, meaning all SH2 traffic was diverted through Ohope for more than a month.

Dylan says at the time, her travels weren't impacted too greatly by the extra traffic on the road.

'I don't feel it significantly impacted my commute during these diversions. I saw more congested traffic lines along Pohutukawa Ave however I was rarely slowed under the speed limit and never saw any unsafe practises or poor driving as far as truck drivers are concerned.

'To be fair, I'm originally from Wellington so I have a much higher tolerance for traffic,” she says. 'I think locals forget how good we have it here and having to pass one or two trucks on the hill isn't the worst thing in the world.”

She says the current state of the road in Ohope is great.

'I find the state of roads in Ohope to be of a high quality. Any issues I've noticed have always been addressed in a timely manner.”

The Draft Traffic and Speed Limits Bylaw 2018 incorporates most aspects of the existing Traffic and Speed Limits Bylaw, but will propose some key changes.

One proposed change is the restriction on heavy goods vehicles parking in urban traffic areas at night.

This excludes drivers staying overnight at a registered commercial accommodation facility.

Council says the reason for the change is to prevent safety issues created when heavy goods vehicles obstruct traffic lanes, and the disturbance caused by drivers starting their vehicles early in the morning.

Heavy goods vehicles travelling through the district are to also use State Highway 2 via Taneatua and Nukuhou, rather than the route through Ohope.

Logging trucks will no longer be permitted to travel through Ohope at any time, except when permitted for the harvesting of nearby forest plantations.

Heavy goods vehicles will also be banned from driving through Ohope at any time, unless they are servicing the Ohope and Wainui Road areas, or they have a council-issued permit.

In addition no permitted heavy goods vehicles will be able to travel through Ohope between the hours of 10pm and 6am.

Council says the proposed restrictions address the safety and amenity impacts created by heavy goods vehicles travelling through Ohope.

They recognise the alternative state highway network is more appropriate in terms of strength and alignment to carry long haul heavy traffic through the district.

Alongside these changes the Speed Limits Schedule has been updated to align with the New Zealand Transport Agency's recently-adopted Speed Management Guide.

This sets out technical information around the range of speeds that can be set, based on the type and condition of a road.

Changes proposed for 21 sections of road in the Whakatāne District are set-out in the Statement of Proposal: Draft Traffic and Speed Limits Bylaw 2018, which is available on the Council website.

An assessment of the existing Mobile Trading bylaw highlighted a number of issues, including:

• Much of the bylaw cannot be enforced;

• A restrictive approach does not align well with Council's strategic aim to encourage diversity and vibrancy in the business sector;

• The current bylaw does not fit well with legislation setting out the reasons councils may implement a bylaw.

Following the formal consultation process, all of the submissions received will be considered by the Council at a hearing in April.

Community consultations are currently open and continue through until Friday March 2.