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Speed cushions designed to slow down traffic on a busy road in Lincoln have led to another problem — vehicles driving and bouncing over them making loud noises.
The cushions have been stripped across Southfield Dr in Lincoln at the Edward St end.
Southfield Dr has become a major thoroughfare because of the roadworks on Gerald St, the main route through the township.
The latest traffic count data shows average daily traffic on Southfield Dr has almost tripled, rising from 1316 vehicles in 2024 to 3616 in May.
Cushions were also placed at a crossing a few hundred metres away near Ararira Springs Primary School to improve safety for pupils, a move widely applauded.
The cushions by the school are not outside any housing.
But questions are being raised about why the cushions were also placed a few hundred metres along Southfield Dr.
A resident said the noise is constant.
“Even if vehicles slow down when they get to the speed humps they still make a lot of noise,” he said.
“When a vehicle towing a trailer, and trucks go over them the noise is just terrible. Many don’t slow down which makes it even worse.
“A lot of tradies now use Southfield Dr as a route to get to their jobs. The street is so busy. Buses even cut through.”
Selwyn Times agrees about the noise issue.
The newspaper has been to the site four times since Sunday to determine if the resident’s concerns are warranted.
Said editor Barry Clarke: “I was there on Sunday morning. It was bang, bang, bang, rattle, and thump, thump thump. I sympathise with what the residents are having to put up with.
“Some cars do slow down but even then the noise is a problem. Many drivers didn’t slow down, particularly SUVs and people towing trailers, they would simply position their wheels where the gap was and drive straight over them.”
Videographer/reporter Geoff Sloan went to the site three times this week to video vehicles going over the cushions.
“It was pretty bad,” he said.
Council infrastructure and property director Tim Mason said the cushions were part of a package of measures, including safety measures near Ararira Springs Primary School, which are being trialled for three months.
Said Mason: “While they usually generate less noise and vibration than conventional speed humps, some increase can occur, particularly from heavier vehicles, trailers or vehicles travelling at higher speeds.
“We are investigating the concerns raised around noise. Noise is one of the things that will be monitored as part of the trial, along with vehicle speeds, traffic volumes, and community feedback to assess the impact before making any longer-term decisions.”
The resident spoken to by Selwyn Times has contacted the council about the noise problem. He said if the council wanted to slow drivers down, it should reduce the speed limit to 40km/h through to where a pre-school is at the intersection of Southfield Dr and Tauhinu Ave.
That way residents would not have to put up with the incessant noise, he said.
Springs Ward councillor Denise Carrick, who pushed for the safety measures by the school, said she had not noticed any noise issues when she visited the site.
“I know it can be an issue not just there but everywhere speed humps go; it can be an issue, but that’s what the staff came up with as the solution,” she said.
Carrick said the speed humps are possibly “not the perfect solution” but other traffic calming measures would require more funding.
She also had people message her in support of the speed humps.
“I have actually had people contact me from the (Springs Rd) end of Southfield Dr where they want it slowed too."
Carrick said the council has not kept up with Lincoln’s increasing population.
“The roading department and planning, none of it has kept up with what is actually happening, so we’re on the back foot.
“We are behind, and we are trying desperately to keep up.”
