NZTA Says Sorry For Missing Marker Pegs On Arthur’s Pass Route

Friday, 25 April 2025, 4:10 pm
Article: Lois Williams - Local Democracy Reporter

NZTA has apologised and promised to investigate after West Coast Regional Council chair Peter Haddock reported hundreds of road marker pegs missing on State Highway 73, east of Arthur's Pass.

Mr Haddock raised the problem, at a recent meeting of the Regional Transport Committee, saying the difference in maintenance standards east and west of the Pass was like chalk and cheese.

“It’s like entering a different country.”

On a recent trip to Christchurch with Transport Committee chair Peter Ewen the pair had noticed big gaps in the side marker pegs.

When he made a second trip this week, he had counted them.

“I got the wife to drive while I counted - and there a total of 395 pegs missing or damaged between Klondike Corner and Darfield - these are essential for driving at night and it’s a real safety risk,” Mr Haddock said.

On the return trip, he counted only one marker peg missing between Otira and Kumara Junction.

There was also evidence of a serious lack of maintenance east of the Pass, Mr Haddock said,

“Every bridge and guard rail on the West Coast had a marker but there’s massive areas, like Porters Pass and the Bealey Bluffs where there are no markers or guard rails, the subsidence is really bad… and I challenge NZTA to have a look at that.”

In comparison, the maintenance of West Coast roads have been very good recently, including the patching of seal surfaces, Mr Haddock said.

“It’s like driving over glass compared to the roads over the hill - they’re really sub standard, so thanks for that – we are lucky.”

Mr Haddock also made a plea for better maintained areas on road sides to allow slow vehicles to pull over, and let traffic pass.

“I see this every time I drive these routes - people going through our region to look at scenic beauty, and they’re not doing 100kmh.

“ There’s heaps of areas that are unmaintained on the side of the roads and trucks won’t duck in there if they going to break a spring; a camper van not going to pull in there if it’s going to chuck everything out of their cupboards.”

This created safety risks, as traffic backed up behind the slow vehicle and drivers attempted dangerous passing moves, Mr Haddock said.

NZTA’s chief advisor Ian Duncan who joined the meeting by video link, thanked Mr Haddock for raising the missing marker pegs east of Arthurs Pass.

“ I encourage you if you see defects, file them through to us and we will make sure they go back to the contractors.

“I will follow this up, I apologise [the pegs] are not in situ and I will get to the bottom of it,” Mr Duncan said.

NZTA would also have a look at the question of pull-over areas.

“You’re not the only area raising this, with the increase in tourism numbers,” Mr Duncan said.

© Scoop Media

Local Democracy Reporting

Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.