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.

Transforming transit: Arataki bus hub upgrade

With more than 40,000 bus passengers a month, Arataki is the second busiest bus hub in our city.

Following community calls for a safer environment, it's now getting a much-needed upgrade.

New well-lit, high-capacity shelters featuring decorative cultural elements from local hapū will be installed on each side of the road, along with increased wayfinding signage and information boards.

Other improvements include more streetlights and new CCTV monitoring, open seating, bike parking, rubbish bins, and landscaping.

These upgrades will provide a friendlier welcome to Arataki, making bus travel more user-friendly and improving safety during transit.

Improved pedestrian crossings, wider footpaths, and a new shared user path will make access safer and easier alongside the new pedestrian crossings on Girven Road, Maranui Street, and Oceanbeach Road.

Construction will begin on Monday, 5 August and is expected to be completed in October 2024. To keep disruption to a minimum, works will take place from 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with some noise and vibration to be expected during these times.

As part of efforts to alleviate traffic congestion and improve the flow of pedestrian and vehicle movement in the area, Bay of Plenty Regional Council has committed to minimising layovers on surrounding streets and utilising a repurposed bus stop along Girven Road.

Traffic management

Traffic on Farm Street will be reduced to one-way only with entry from Taupo Avenue, with access to Bayfair Shopping Centre maintained at all times. Closing one lane will allow the contractor to complete the works in less time.

Existing bus shelters and footpaths within the work site on Farm Street will be closed during construction and a temporary pedestrian pathway will be installed.

The Farm Street bus stops and shelters will be moved 80 metres towards Concord Avenue. Stops and routes will be clearly signposted, and traffic controllers will be available to help bus patrons during working hours.

For project updates and to learn more, please visit https://letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/aratakibushub

Detour map for the Arataki bus hub works