It is a 100kmh speed zone on that corner with bus stops on either side of the highway. It is very difficult to see cars coming, especially if you are shorter than an average-sized adult.
It was an absolute miracle they were not killed. It is a miracle more of us who live here are not hit on that corner when walking or biking to the store, or wiped out by vehicles when turning into or out of Harvey St.
The accident was a real shock. The community has petitioned NZTA seeking a speed reduction for the Waitati corner. Other community members have written to the Otago Regional Council asking for the bus stop to be moved.
In 2010, the Dunedin City Council hearings committee heard from NZTA, community members and businesses in Waitati about the road-straightening plans. These plans included a reduced driving speed limit in both directions.
But the plans were complicated and views differed. Some were concerned about the disruption of road works to their business, others were unsure about moving the shop. It was the retired fire officer who said that the most important issue was not the straightening nor the shop, it was the speed limit.
That makes sense. Straightening the road might help drivers see better when turning into Harvey St but it will do nothing for pedestrians and cyclists. It is not going to improve the safety of people, including the young and old, crossing the state highway when they come home from the bus or need to buy milk and bread.
The only way to improve safety for all the users, drivers, pedestrians and cyclists is to reduce the speed limit on the corner. The petition asks for a 70kmh limit and that is entirely reasonable.
Similar speed restrictions are in place south of Dunedin. East Taieri has a restricted 60kmh stretch and Allanton is restricted to 80kmh on the bend with the intersection to the airport. The Waitati corner is not radically different from either.
All three have important, regularly used intersections. All three have residential homes and commercial businesses that access the state highway. Only two have reduced speed limits. This should have been fixed for Waitati in 2012.
Waitati has been neglected. We do not have any social housing in Blueskin Bay despite the need, and we are the only community in Blueskin Bay that does not have access to the town sewage and wastewater system.
Yet Waitati is a wonderfully eclectic and vibrant community that more than pulls its weight for Dunedin. There is a lot of love out here. We have our school, te Whānau Arohanui, Bland Park and the skatepark, the lagoon walk and Orokonui Ecosanctuary rising up the hill behind us.
The community hosts Matariki at the Opera House, art shows, the Waitati Militia, the Seasider Train and Blueskin News. The Waitati Music Fest draws hundreds each year.
In fact we share the Waitati love year round, with tons of visitors in the summer.
Townies come out for a coffee, for the monthly market, for the beach and a slow drive around our curiosities. I know this because people drive slowly past my house, pointing at its more quirky castellations.
There are great plans for Waitati. More people are moving out here and building up on the slopes. We have the Coastal Communities Cycleway project that would connect the coastal communities in a beautiful ride around Blueskin Bay.
We are famous here for our historical genius and for our present-day follies. We do not ever want to be famous for the death of a child walking home from the bus.
■Metiria Stanton-Turei is a senior law lecturer at the University of Otago and a former Green Party MP and co-leader.
