Frustrated Waikouaiti residents say they are not being listened to as they battle the constant rumble of trucks past their homes.
Up to 184 trucks are allowed to drive to and from Mainland Poultry Ltd farms through the town’s main residential street — Beach St — every week to access State Highway 1.
Residents say the trucks damage the street, are noisy and make it unsafe for children crossing the road and they worry the shaking they cause could be damaging their homes.
Shelley St James said after three years of the Beach St residents "moaning, complaining and not being heard", the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board held a meeting with representatives from the council and Mainland on Monday last week.
After the meeting, Mainland told the Otago Daily Times it was open to discussing a speed limit reduction in Beach St.
However, the residents were still not happy and Ms St James said it amounted to a "45-minute lecture" from Mainland agribusinesses general manager Judith Mair that was followed by Dunedin City Council group transport manager Jeanine Benson backing her up.
Thirty people were at the meeting and Ms St James said several concerns were raised.
"The concerns raised were basically the noise, the amount of trucks, the condition of the road and the danger there was, especially for the children.
Sharon Bregant was worried about potential damage to her house caused by the trucks.
"If they want to put their chooks down the end of this road they should pay for the damage done to our houses."
Residents at the meeting proposed that Mainland should build its own road or the speed limit be reduced in Beach St.
Ms Mair said Mainland had very clear protocols in place around all its truck movements, the time they operated and the actions of its drivers.
The trucks were monitored to ensure they adhered to the rules around their operation, including speed limits, Ms Mair said.
A council spokesman said it could not enforce speed limits but would be reviewing the existing 50kmh speed limit for Beach St as part of its next speed management plan.
Building a new road would be expensive and difficult, the spokesman said.
Approval would need to be given by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to connect to State Highway 1, from KiwiRail for a railway crossing and from other affected landowners in the area.
