‘Safer Rides – Southern Coromandel’ is a new motorcycle safety project which will help you understand and manage the challenges along this stretch of highway, so you stay on your bike.
As a keen motorcyclist, you’ll know summer is a great time to head out on a recreational ride on your own or with friends. If you’re touring around the Southern Coromandel area on your ride, you’ll notice a new set of billboards on show around this ‘scenic loop’.
The 130 km loop runs along SH25A Kopu to Hikuai, SH25 near Hikuai to Waihi, SH2 Waihi to Paeroa and SH26 Paeroa to Kopu. The signs you’ll see on the loop are part of a pilot project underway in the area – the ‘Safer Rides – Southern Coromandel’ motorcycle safety project.
This route was chosen for the pilot project as it’s experienced a disproportionately high number of serious motorcycle crashes in recent years. While just one to three percent of the vehicles that travel along the route are motorcycles, during the 5 year period period 2008 – 2012, motorcyclists were involved in 44% of all fatal and serious injury crashes.
The project involves multiple partners working with the Transport Agency; including the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council; the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC); NZ Police; Waikato Regional Council; Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki district councils and motorcycle user groups.
It’s all about helping to reduce the number and severity of crashes involving motorcyclists on this route, through a range of safety improvements, such as upgraded signage, road markings, work to improve visibility, hazard removal/modification and new helicopter landing pads.
Educational resources include the billboards; posters; plus a brochure with rider safety tips and an interactive map available free online.
At the heart of the project is the ‘Safe System’ approach (part of the Government's Safer Journeys(external link) strategy), which considers safer roads and roadsides; safer speeds; safer vehicles; and safer road users.
So if you’re out and about on the loop over the coming months – make sure you visit the project website before you go, so you can plan your journey safely. Afterwards, let the project team know what you think about the improvements and the project’s other initiatives.
Check out the ‘Safer Rides – Southern Coromandel’ website. Don’t forget – you use the road – so your feedback really valuable to the project team!
www.nzta.govt.nz/safer-rides-sc (external link)
