The NZ Transport Agency is inviting the community to have their say on possible ways to improve road safety in Mid Canterbury on State Highway 1, Rakaia to Ashburton. (Officially the project starts at the Selwyn River Bridge, north of Dunsandel.)
Pete Connors, Transport Agency Transport System Manager, says the Agency is holding community open sessions to share information on possible safety improvements and to get feedback.
“We have some ideas for how we can make this road safer, but we want to share these and hear what the community thinks based on their experience using this highway,” Mr Connors says.
Over the ten years 2007 to 2016, 13 people were killed and 49 were seriously injured on this stretch of road. Many of these crashes involved drivers running off the road and hitting something hard like a pole or tree. There have also been head-on crashes on this highway.
“We want to make sure that when people make mistakes while driving they don’t always result in someone being killed or seriously injured. Some improvements could be putting in flexible roadside safety barriers to stop drivers running off the road, widening the centreline or putting in a median barrier to keep traffic apart and prevent head-on crashes.
“We encourage people to come along and ask questions, give feedback and meet the team who will be working on this project. If they can’t make it, they can still share their views online or by mail.”
Safety improvements to State Highway 1 between Rakaia and Ashburton are part of the government’s $600 million Safe Roads programme, targeting the prevention of 900 deaths and serious injuries on high-risk rural state highways over the next decade.
More information about the safety improvements as well as information on how to share feedback is on the NZ Transport Agency website www.nzta.govt.nz/r2a(external link)
Saturday 9 December - Ashburton
9am to 12.30pm
Ashburton Farmers Market, Corner West and Havelock Streets
Thursday 14 December - Rakaia
11am to 1pm
Rakaia Mobil Station, 50 Bridge St, Rakaia
Thursday 14 December - Dunsandel
2pm to 4pm
Selwyn-Rakaia Vet Services car park, corner Browns Rd and Main South Rd, Dunsandel
