Did a mouse roar in Rotorua?

Or did an elephant in the debating chamber overwhelm councillors?

A comprehensive survey of traffic risks at Rerewhakaaitu, south of Rotorua, was greeted with applause by a sub-committee of the Rotorua Lakes Council.

The object of councillor affectation was a body of student from Rerewhakaaitu School.

As a result, the council's strategy, policy and finance committee has recommended a road safety review of all 16 schools in the Rotorua district.

The sub-committee met with Rerewhakaaitu School's student representatives on Thursday to present their findings as reported this week on Rotorua Now.

The survey showed numbers of various vehicles and times it took from point A to point B.

At the end, the school's presentation through delivery and power point was applauded by councillors in a rare show of spontaneous appreciation.

Further, meeting chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait called for a second round of applause.

Mayor Steve Chadwick says she had heard a report from NZ Transport Association, to which findings had also been sent, would come back in three months.

'And if that is in effect for all rural schools, well done to you.”

Their process and the school's methodology and approach were the right ones.

Councillor Karen Hunt says the move had triggered moves for the whole region. Her fear was that if the council went ahead with one school others would seek similar response with no research.

The school 'had triggered the change and you (Rerewhakaaitu School) are at the front of the queue and it behoves us to link all of the rural schools together in the catchment”.

Of the 16 schools in the district, two schools were in districts of speeds greater than 50km/h.

Stavros Michael, infrastructure group manager, says the Rotorua approach would give consistency if done on a case by case bases, since the guidelines would always be the same.

Councillor Rob Kent says he took issue with the fact people could do a number of things at the same with limited resources. 'How many speed cameras do we have: If you've only got one you can only do one school at a time?”

Each school is an individual case, he said. And each individual case needed to be assessed.

'They will all be different; they will all have to be treated as individuals.”

Before the presentation, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick says it's 'fantastic when we hear young voices”.

'I can't believe the depth of the research that's been mathematically difficult for you. At a big meeting of mayors from rural and provincial sector recently we were talking about the impact of road speeds, especially in the rural sector and schools.”

The meeting resolved that council officers will undertake a 'comprehensive road safety review” including posted speed limits assessment around all rural schools and report its findings and recommendations.