The NZ Transport Agency is removing short sections of edgeline rumble strips* on three southern South Island state highways after accepting suggested changes made by local cycling groups and the Waitaki District Council.
Graeme Hall, System Manager for the Transport Agency, says the changes will accommodate the cyclists’ concerns without compromising safety for drivers.
“Rumble strips are a simple safety improvement that work – they’ve been proven to prevent deaths and injuries. But we know cyclists sometimes find them difficult to ride on,” says Mr Hall.
“We had advice from cycling advisors before we installed these rumble strips, and since then we’ve also had feedback from the council and local cycling groups. As a result, we’ve decided to remove short sections of rumble strip from SH6, SH8A and SH83. Most of the rumble strips on these highways will remain, so there will still be significant safety benefits for all road users.”
Read independent reports on the sections to be removed on SH6/SH8A [PDF, 715 KB] and SH6/SH83 [PDF, 925 KB].
Most of the rumble strip being removed is on SH6 – between Hawea and Albert Town, around Kingston, and the northern approach to Garston, in Southland.
Overall, less than 1 percent (ie 8.6 km) of the edgeline rumble strip that was installed earlier this year on southern highways is being removed. (7 km SH6, 1 km SH8A, 0.6 km SH83.)
Rumble strips can reduce all crashes by around 25 percent and fatal run-off-road crashes by up to 42 percent.
Rumble strips were installed on these state highways as part of the government’s Safety Boost Programme for improving the safety of rural state highways. The programme has installed almost 2000 kilometres on 30 regional state highways nationwide, as well as road safety barriers and improved signage.
