Te Puke residents are again calling for action to slow down speeding drivers on Boucher Ave following a horrific crash scene that confronted locals on the weekend.

A motorcyclist died following a crash with a truck that happened around 4.30pm on Saturday, April 15.

Boucher Ave resident Steve Nicholson was doing work around his house with his teenage son on Saturday when they heard the noise of the crash and both ran to assist.

He says his son reached the road first, stopped and said to him 'No dad”.

Steve's account to SunLive of what they saw in the crash aftermath and debris is grisly and shocking.

And it has galvanised him to again call for action from Western Bay of Plenty District Council for more safety measures on Boucher Ave, particularly near the curve in the road that has been the scene of previous crashes.

In July 2020, following an early morning crash by a speeding vehicle into a powerpole that brought down powerlines, Te Puke residents called for action.

Resident Tara Jones told SunLive in 2020 there had been three crashes in the 12 months.

She went with another resident to a Western Bay District Council meeting to express her concerns.

'We asked them to think about the worst case scenario, which has now happened,” says Tara.

'They put a speed light that tells you what speed you are doing up at the top of Boucher Ave going into N.o 2 Road. That was the only thing I've seen done. That didn't last long, a few weeks. And it was a waste of time as it's not near the curve where the crashes have happened. They said they'd fix the road.”

She says drivers don't realise how sharp the corner is that's outside their property.

'And many days, people go over the line. If you're doing more than 50km/h, you can do some damage.”

She says during a school day the speed limit on the road is 40km/h from the bottom of the hill to just past the school, and other days the speed limit is 50km/h.

Since 2020, there has been one other crash, until the fatal crash on Saturday.

'Five in total. One wasn't recorded, as the driver hit a bush area and then took off. Two crashes happened with the driver going up the road, and three going down. You're more likely to lose control on that corner going up the road.”

Steve contacted council the week before Saturday's shocking and fatal crash.

'I spoke to Western Bay District Council two weeks ago and they said the road was going to be repaired in the school holidays,” says Steve.

'I texted the council guy on Monday morning and he got back to me. Said he'd heard what happened on Saturday and that the road has been scheduled for repair this week. We had told them three years ago there would be a death if something wasn't done.

'Since 2020, no repairs have been made to the road apart from fixing some potholes. There's been no visible effort done to resolve the speed issue.”

Emergency services finally finished the scene examination about 11pm on Saturday.

Steve says the motorcyclist would have died before hitting the ground.

Boucher Ave. Image: Google Maps.

Western Bay councillor Richard Crawford says he will be raising Boucher Ave at council for a review.

'As a past fireman, I understand the personal cost to turn up along with ambulance and police at scenes like this. Some of the firefighters personally know the truck driver and the motorcyclist's family is well known.”

Richard, who served with the Te Puke Fire Brigade for 13 years, has been at the previous Boucher Ave crashes.

'We have talked about using the digital speed sign closer to the school, and we have a speed review coming up to look at the speed zones.

'Local councillors really feel for the loss of life, those who are impacted and for local residents and first responders,” says Richard.

'We're in the early stages of two key pieces of work that should have a positive effect on safety in the Te Puke community,” says Western Bay of Plenty District Council Senior Transportation Engineer, Calum McLean.

'The first is the development of our Speed Management Plan which will review all posted speed limits in the District and propose changes to prompt traffic to travel at safe and appropriate speeds, with schools identified as a priority.”

Calum says through this process the posted speed limit on Boucher Road could be reduced following adoption of the Speed Management Plan in early 2024.

'Second is the $2.4 million of funding we've received through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's Transport Choices programme, which is set aside for Te Puke.”

Initial design options look to construct separated cycleways on Boucher Avenue and Cameron Road, which aims to reduce the reliance on vehicles and support the uptake of active modes of transport.

'The Te Puke community will be able to share their views on both these projects in the coming months, and we encourage them to take part,” says Calum.

Read more about the Speed Management Plan here - www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/news-and-updates/news?item=id:2kcipnqu817q9shek80b