Residents who live off of State Highway 2 between the Wairoa River and Omokoroa have made their voices heard at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council offices in First Ave today.

Today was the second day of submission hearings for the council's draft Regional Land Transport Plan.

Andrew Hollis, organiser of the ‘Fix the BLOODY Road' campaign and Facebook group, presented his submission to the council's regional transport committee this afternoon.

He says it is vital regional councillors know how important upgrading State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati is to the community.

'We've paid road user charges and fuel taxes over the years – where has the money gone?” he asks. 'We feel like the highway is a political football that's bounced around without anyone putting shovels in the ground.”

He says the road is not only a state highway, but a local road that people use to ‘pick up groceries and take their kids to school'.

'There are parts of that road that are too narrow to be part of a state highway. We've measured them.”

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber also made a submission, and says people from his district are dying, and they have ‘high expectations that [regional councillors] will agree with their pleas and alter the priority ranking for the Omokoroa to Tauranga Road'.

'I am the person who will have to take your decision back to our community, and I am extremely hopeful that the news will be well-received.”

Hakao Road resident Vivette Bradley says the highway needs four lanes and a median barrier, and describes it as no longer being ‘family-friendly'.

'The road is no longer fit for purpose. We can sit on our deck and hear the sirens of emergency services, and half an hour later check local media to find there's been another accident.”

She says it's become so bad her family are considering leaving the area, despite having good jobs here.

'We've been forced to consider moving out of the Bay, all because of this road madness.”

Omokoroa resident Rina Francis says she's lived in the area for 16 years, and has had several near misses – or near hits, as she calls them, through no fault of her own.

'A better road would improve the outcomes when mistakes are made.”

She compares the current highway, with its volume of traffic, to trying to cram 10 people into a dinghy better suited for two, and expecting it not to capsize.

Jess Road resident John Turner also spoke about safety being the paramount issue for councillors to consider.

'I've seen the plans for the proposed Omokoroa Road flyover and they are brilliant,” he says.

'I hope your recommendation will be that upgrading the road becomes the number one priority. If you fail to, next time there is a fatal accident – and there will be – you might wonder if you could have saved that life.”

Around 1900 submissions have been received for the draft Regional Land Transport Plan, and around 150 people have been scheduled to present their submissions.

Upgrading State Highway 2 between Omokoroa and Tauranga has been ranked at number 11 on a list of regional council transport priorities – behind the Cycle Action Plan, which is number four.

In March, a meeting at Top Shot Bar in Te Puna attracted more than 120 people to discuss community-led initiatives to bring about changes to the road.

Among these ideas was making submissions to the draft Regional Land Transport Plan to bump up the road's priority. However, this was only one step, with protesters also placing crosses on the side of the highway to remind motorists of the many fatalities and serious crashes there have been.

Andrew says there will be more drastic action to come if the regional council doesn't make the road a priority.

'At the moment we're doing the right thing and letting people know how we feel. It would be unfortunate to escalate our protest.”