Haumarutanga rori - pakeke

Road safety - adults

The Travel Safe team work in the community to reduce accidents and improve road safety.

Young Driver Workshop

Free young driver workshops are aimed at road users aged between 16 and 24, who hold a current learner or restricted driver licence. Participants will leave with improved knowledge, confidence, and skills.

Each workshop includes:

A 60-minute one-on-one driving lesson with a certified instructor
Waka Kotahi NZTA roadworthy vehicle check (what to check to ensure your vehicle is safe and roadworthy)
Driver behaviour awareness (speed, impairment, restraints, distraction, and fatigue
Awareness session on sharing the road with heavy vehicles

Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to attend but it’s not compulsory. The four-hour workshops are held during school term holidays, usually between 9am and 1pm.

Drive has everything you need to prepare for your learner, restricted and full licence tests.

Visit the Drive website

Young driver workshop

Car Restraints

Looking for support around car seat restraints? Contact one of our local car seat technicians at travelsafeschools@tauranga.govt.nz. We offer free car seat installations, checks, and will help answer any questions or concerns regarding your car restraint.

Carseat installation

Parking behaviour

Drop off and pick up are busy times that pose a safety risk at the school gate. Travel Safe help schools to communicate things like parking time limits, drop off and pick up zones, parking over the kerb and other safety risks at the school gate. We deliver an in-school parking and safety programme named Peaceful Parker, and partner with council parking officers to do school visits when requested by schools or the community.

Blindzone Workshops

Blindzone workshops allow people to see the world from a truck driver’s point of view. Through a series of practical scenarios, participants will learn where to place themselves so they are visible to truck drivers and will leave with more awareness and confidence on the road.

For more on Blindzone and cycling around heavy vehicles visit Share the Road.

Blindzone workshop

Be Bright, Be Safe, Be Seen

This winter visibility programme reminds cyclists, walkers, runners, and scooter riders to have lights, bright clothing, and reflective gear if they are out and about during early mornings, evenings, and at other times of low light and poor visibility.

Whether commuting to work or school, being active for fun or fitness, or popping down to the local shops, people should take extra care and keep safe by being fully visible on roads and paths.

All cyclists are encouraged to wear high-visibility clothing and ensure their front light, rear light and rear red reflector are all working correctly and are clean.

View the official New Zealand code for cycling for more information.

Lower speeds to improve safety outside Tauranga schools

Safer journeys for children and families are at the centre of new speed limit changes being rolled out across Tauranga, with lower speeds outside schools confirmed, and speed limit changes proposed across the city.

From June, speed limits around all urban Tauranga schools will be reduced to 30km/h during drop-off and pick-up times, making it safer for the thousands of students, whānau and commuters who share the roads each day. Tauranga City Council will introduce the variable speed limits outside 42 schools as part of its citywide Speed Management Plan to improve road safety.

Karen Hay, Manager: Strategy and Assurance, says school areas are some of the busiest and most complex parts of the transport network.

“Tauranga’s roads are at their busiest before and after school, with cars, children, bikes and scooters all sharing the same space,” says Karen. “As traffic volumes increase, schools and local communities have raised concerns about vehicle speeds, drivers not stopping at crossings, and the lack of safe gaps for school patrols.

“Speed plays a major role in whether a crash can be avoided and how serious the outcome might be. Lower speeds outside schools make it safer for everyone, especially people walking and cycling.”

The changes reflect updated national requirements, with a Ministry of Transport rule amendment requiring all road authorities to have 30km/h variable speed limits in place outside schools by July 2026.

The move has strong community backing, with more than 1,000 people responding to a Council survey in April and May 2024. Of those, 71 per cent supported lower speed limits outside schools.

A mix of electronic and static signs will be installed, with electronic signs operating during school drop-off and pick-up times.

These changes form part of Council’s broader Speed Management Plan. Throughout May and June Council is seeking community feedback on further speed limit changes across Tauranga to respond to traffic patterns and local safety concerns.

Proposals include making the temporary 50km/h limit on Truman Lane permanent due to ongoing high traffic volumes, lowering speeds on Gasson Lane in Pyes Pā to improve safety for children accessing school buses, simplifying speeds to a consistent 80km/h at the Domain Road/SH2 interchange, and introducing a permanent 30km/h limit on Elder Lane near Bethlehem College where footpaths are limited.

Community feedback on the proposed speed limit changes is open until Friday 12 June at letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/saferspeeds

Posted: May 15, 2026,

Related information

Staying safe on scooters. Information about staying safe on your scooter.

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Phone +64 7 577 7000

Email info@tauranga.govt.nz

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