Slow down signs flouted near school
Omarama police Constable Nayland Smith is astounded by the number of drivers who speed past the township's primary school, putting children's lives at risk.
In an effort to get people to slow down, Omarama, Kurow and Oamaru police are running a blitz on speedsters - using covert and overt tactics. It will run from October 23 to November 2.
Staff will be deployed around the school zone during this period, throughout the key risk times between 7.30am and 4pm on weekdays.
Operation Barrel is similar to the national speed campaign - Operation Back to School - which ran in February, but named by Mr Smith as Operation Barrel "because getting tickets speeding past our school is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel".
Infringement notices will be issued to drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 4km/h.
Since being stationed in Omarama in August last year, Mr Smith said he has been astounded by the number of vehicles that sped past Omarama Primary School.
In the last three weeks of February, when Operation Back to School was run, 38 tickets were issued for speeding past the Omarama school. The 38 tickets were written out in just over seven hours, averaging a speeding ticket every 12 minutes.
The highest speed was 87km/h in the 50km/h zone.
Not one ticket was issued to a local.
Between July 2011 and February 2012, Omarama's sole-charge police station had the second highest offence rate of speeding past schools in the Otago Rural area, with 26 tickets issued.
The six-man police station in Wanaka claimed the most offences, issuing just three more tickets during that period.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has identified the Omarama Primary School zone as an issue, resulting in warning signs being erected on the outskirts of the south side of the township recently.
These signs warn motorists that they are entering a 50km/h zone within 150m.
However, Mr Smith said police had not noticed any change in driver behaviour.
Mr Smith is in constant contact with NZTA and local community groups, in an effort to reduce speeds.
"These partnerships are part of our [police] prevention first strategy and I am sure, with our combined efforts, we will resolve the issue," he said.
