Lifeguards brace for mayhem on beaches as swimmers and cars jostle for position

Tuesday, 7 January 2020

The beach is a road, but it's also a playground. There's concern lifeguards are being caught in the middle.

The beach is a legal road, but lifeguards aren't meant to be traffic cops. Their attention is being torn between swimmers and cars on the sand, and a surf club is warning something has to give.

As the mercury rises, so do the number of cars appearing on beaches throughout New Zealand. Some cruise for kilometres, in search of a secluded fishing spot, while others manoeuvre through prime swimming spots, among beach towels, sun umbrellas and children playing in the sand.

But it's a case of different region, different rules for vehicle access. The Land Transport Act says beaches are roads, meaning police are able to enforce traffic laws and local authorities can set speed limits.

But surf lifesaving clubs are being left to contend with the risk cars pose, monitoring both the sand as well as the surf.

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Cars and vans are a regular sight at Manawatū beaches, including at Himatangi, both around the flags and further along the coast where fishers seek out their spots.

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Vehicles are popular along the Manawatū and Horowhenua coastlines, thanks to the flat, wide beaches that allow people to drive from Foxton all the way north to Himatangi.

But Foxton Beach Surf Lifesaving Club chairman Shane Parlato says junior lifeguard training sessions have been disrupted this summer by people driving close to the children at dangerous speeds.

Nippers train at Foxton Beach Surf Club with instructor Adam Radich. Sessions have been disrupted this summer due to cars speeding on the beach.

'Vehicles were a genuine issue for us, they were reasonably close calls.'

Parlato would like cars barred from being near the flags or around lifeguards while they are on patrol or training.

Muriwai Beach in Auckland attracts plenty of traffic, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand chief executive Paul Dalton says.

Horowhenua District Council is supplying the club with signs and road cones, which are placed near the flags to block off the patrolled area and encourage motorists to drive through the car park to get around the club.

'We can't do everything, our priority is to protect swimmers on the beach.'

Driving and parking cars on the beach has long been a part of the culture in many coastal communities. Titahi Bay Beach, in Porirua, in 1958.

If the cones and signage weren't effective, Parlato said the club would lobby the council for further action, which could include a bylaw banning people from driving around the surf club.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand chief executive Paul Dalton said clubs around the country would 'muddle' their way through the summer months. It did not have any guidelines for how surf lifesaving clubs should contend with motorists, but all clubs endeavoured to keep swimmers and cars away from each other.

On beaches that allow vehicles, lifeguards end up watching out for pedestrians as well as swimmers, even though that isn't strictly part of their remit.

St Clair Beach in Dunedin, where vehicles are banned from the coastline.

'They definitely have to keep track of it, some beaches are more notorious for people doing stupid things or speeds.'

Dalton said it was part of New Zealand's culture to drive on beaches for recreation purposes. Most drivers were well-behaved, but some beaches such as Muriwai in Auckland were notorious for attracting hoons and reckless driving.

'As long as beaches are legally roads, people have the right to take their car down. If you use common sense, it's perfectly fine.'

Dalton said having a single set of rules for all clubs wasn't feasible, as each beach operated differently. Even if Surf Lifesaving NZ was to make a rule about where cars could drive on the beach, lifeguards would be unable to legally enforce them.

Local councils needed to help clubs keep their swimmers safe, as they could enforce laws if that was necessary.

In Dunedin, the city council passed its reserves and beaches bylaw in 2017 that banned driving on beaches unless people were launching a boat.

Its parks and recreation group manager Robert West said the bylaw was put in place to protect the natural environment and beach users.

No-one has been fined under the bylaw.

West said the council was taking an 'educational approach' by sending letters to people caught driving on the beach informing them of the bylaw and providing information about why cars were banned.

People caught driving on the beaches can be fined up to $5000.

'In the past year we have written to approximately 130 people, and we have only had one or two repeat offenders.'

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