Source: New Zealand Transport Agency
People make mistakes, but those mistakes shouldn’t cost lives. That’s why Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is proposing a range of safety improvements and asking people what they think of the current speed limit on State Highway 3 Napier Road.
Engagement on range of proposed safety improvements, which include traffic signals, improved walking and cycling facilities and an investigation into lowering speed limits opened today (Wednesday 23 February) and closes 11 March 2022.
Director Regional Relationships Linda Stewart says Waka Kotahi wants everyone who uses this road to get where they are going safely.
“Waka Kotahi is committed to Vision Zero, a vision for New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“The feedback we get through this engagement period will help inform the intersection design and proposed walking and cycling facilities. Once detailed designs are completed, Waka Kotahi will seek funding for construction and begin the consent application process.”
The safety improvements are part of the Road to Zero strategy developed in partnership with NZ Police, Ministry of Transport, local government and WorkSafe that adopts Vision Zero and sets a target to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand’s roads, streets, cycleways and footpaths by 40 percent over the next 10 years.
Alongside the plans for traffic signals and improved walking and cycling facilities, which will have a positive impact on safety, we also need to talk about the speed we are driving.
“Even when speed isn’t the direct cause of a crash, it is a factor in the severity of every crash. It is most often what determines whether a person is killed, seriously injured, or unharmed. A small reduction in speed makes a big difference in how survivable a crash is.”
Over the past ten years, three people were killed and another 15 were seriously injured in crashes on this section of road.
“Lowering speeds doesn’t mean we can’t make other changes, but it is something we can do now that will have an immediate impact on reducing the risk of deaths and serious injuries on the road,” Ms Stewart says.
“We want to hear what the people who use this road think about the current speed limit, and that will help inform a proposal for safe and appropriate speed for this road that we expect to seek formal submissions on later this year.”
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