More needs to be done to curb speeding motorists using one of the Queenstown Lakes' main tourist routes as a "racetrack" before fatalities occur, Cardrona residents say.
Cardrona Valley Rd residents agreed that getting motorists to reduce speeds through the township was a priority for roading authorities, their council, and the police.
On Saturday, Dr Dennis Pezaro told committee members of the Cardrona Residents Association that the road - a main arterial route between Queenstown and Wanaka - was being used as a racetrack.
The Cardrona Valley Rd, which is outside the New Zealand Transport Agency's highway network, is a notoriously accident-prone route.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is the roading authority responsible for the road, which is severely affected by icy conditions during winter months.
Speeding drivers were a "major issue of road safety" which needed to be addressed, Dr Pezaro said.
"Unless we raise the issue to someone, people are going to lose their life," he said.
Residents association chairman John Scurr said Wanaka's police were "well aware" of the speeding concerns and more traffic patrols now monitored the valley.
Wanaka sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell told the Otago Daily Times "almost daily" traffic patrols were tasked with monitoring motorists on the main roads accessing the town's skifield routes.
Residents also want improved "gateway" bollards at either end of the township to increase motorists' awareness about where village boundaries lie.
The QLDC needed to hasten "promised" work, which it had committed to as part of a Cardrona transport plan, and make the changes to improve the village entrance bollards, committee member Tim Scurr said.
Wanaka police say they issued tickets to 249 speeding drivers during July - a 40% increase on the number of traffic infringement notices in July 2009.
Snr Sgt Grindell said 72 more infringement notices were issued last month, compared with 177 in the corresponding month last year.
Wanaka police had an ongoing traffic campaign during the winter months targeting motorists speeding to mountain skifields, he said.
The main roads leading to Wanaka's skifields - Cardrona Valley Rd, Riverbank Rd, and Mt Aspiring Rd - were patrolled "almost daily" by officers on speed control.
