Biking to university has been made safer with the widening of State Highway 57 at Old West Road in Palmerston North.
NZ Transport Agency Regional Transport Systems Manager Mark Owen says two kilometres of road shoulder have been widened and sealed on the road, one of the main routes to Massey University.
“This road is popular with cyclists travelling to Massey, but they haven’t always felt safe on this section because of the narrow road shoulder. This will give them and other vehicles more space to share the road,” Mr Owen says.
“This also makes it a safer road for drivers. We know that wide road shoulders can reduce serious crashes by up to 35 per cent.”
The work has been done as part of the Safety Boost Programme, which will help prevent deaths and serious injuries on regional state highways by making safety improvements like rumble strips, wider road shoulders, road side barriers and road signs.
As well as widening State Highway 57, the programme is installing rumble strips and, at high-risk locations, barriers on four other sections of highway in Manawatu-Whanganui.
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