Flexible barriers in the middle of the road, new roundabouts, traffic lights at the Woodend School crossing and changes to speed limits are among ideas proposed to make a high-risk stretch of highway in North Canterbury safer.

The NZ Transport Agency has released plans to make State Highway 1 be-tween the Ashley River/ Rakahuri and Tram Road safer and wants to know what the public thinks of its proposals.

The community can also have their say about proposed changes to speed limits between Waikuku and Lineside Road. Previous feedback from people living in these communities has consistently been that the current speeds feel unsafe.

Transport Agency Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland encourages people to come along to drop-in sessions on August 9 and 10 (a Friday and Saturday) to talk to the team and give feedback.

“While we are looking at speeds between Waikuku and Lineside Road, we are also looking at other ways to make the road safer north of Waikuku and south of Lineside Road. In this wider area from Ashley River to Tram Road, eight people died and 41 were seriously injured between 2008 and 2017.

“Almost 80 percent of these deaths were from head-on crashes and many of the other crashes occurred at intersections or resulted from vehicles running-off the road. The improvements we are looking to make will help prevent these types of crashes from occurring in the future. They will make the road much safer for everyone who uses it,” says Mr Harland.

Feedback from local people that the current speed limits are too high and that they feel unsafe while walking or cycling as well as when using some intersections has also informed the proposals.

“After getting feedback from the community late last year, we have been working with key stakeholders, such as Waimakariri District Council, the AA and emergency services to finalise draft plans to make this road safer.”

The public has from 5 August until 6 September 2019 to give feedback on both safety proposals and the speed limit.

The proposed safety improvements plan is not final, and Mr Harland says the Transport Agency will take into account the community’s views before the project team finalises the design and applies for construction funding.

People can find out more information, provide feedback and make formal submissions from 5 August on proposed changes at www.nzta.govt.nz/a2b/have-your-say

Drop-in sessions

Friday 9 August, 10am to 1pm

Waikuku Beach Hall, Park Terrace, Waikuku Beach

Saturday 10 August, 1.30pm to 4.30pm

Woodend Community Centre, School Road, Woodend

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: nzta.govt.nz/traffic

• Facebook: facebook.com/NZTAsouthisland
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• Twitter Canterbury/West Coast: twitter.com/NZTA/CWC
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• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz
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• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)
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