Thursday, July 17, 2014
Right Tyres. Right Choice.
NZTA addresses road danger zones By ALECIA ROUSSEAU To address the spate of crashes at the intersection of Napier Road and Roberts Line, a temporary speed limit of 80km/h has been established by the New Zealand Transport Agency. The r e d u c ed li m i t stretches along part of Napier Road heading out of Palmerston North, reaching 200 metres past Roberts Line. Regional highways manager David McGonigal said the NZTA had acted quickly to reduce pressure on the intersection. “This will make the intersection safer in two ways; it makes crashes less likely to happen and if they do happen, they’re likely to be less severe.” Public consultation is expected to begin in August to determine what permanent changes can be put in place. The transport agency has also been made aware of other intersections further along the same road that may pose significant danger to motorists. A Facebook page entitled ‘Make Napier Road intersections safe’ has also been set-up attracting more than 800 likes. One user stated, while the reduction was a good start, it should’ve been done “years ago”. Mr McGonial said the
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DANGER: The intersection of Napier Road and Roberts Line has been identified as high risk by the NZTA.
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EXTENSION: Changes could also be afoot for Stoney Creek Road. PHOTOS: ALECIA ROUSSEAU agency knew of the safety concerns around Whakarongo School and had spoken to a number of people about creating a safer environment. “Safety issues associated with the highway largely
involve parents dropping their children off and using the intersection of the highway and Stoney Creek Road.” He said the school’s travel plan did not identify the highway as a pedestrian route but
NZTA was exploring the potential of lower speeds. A c o l l a bo r a t i ve ap p r o a ch between the community, PNCC and NZTA would need to be taken as the access to the school is from a local road. “We note the speed limit of 80km/h is a temporary one which will remain in place until we can complete the formal review process and public consultation. We’ve also done a crash reduction study on the corridor and are reviewing other options for increasing safety and protecting motorists through the wider area.” Variable speed signs such as those outside Opiki school were still in a trial phase and were not yet an option for general use, he added.
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