Work is getting underway next week to complete installation of rumble strips on three sections of Gisborne state highway – part of the NZ Transport Agency’s Safety Boost Programme for making rural state highways safer.
Over the coming months, the programme will be installing rumble strips on State Highway 2 between Gisborne and Matawai, between Gisborne and Wairoa, as well as on State Highway 35 between Gisborne and Tolaga Bay. This is a continuation of work begun earlier in the year, but which had to temporarily stop over the colder months.
Regional Transport Systems Manager Oliver Postings says rumble strips are a simple but effective tool for preventing deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads.
“They give drivers a wake-up call if they stray across the line, preventing simple mistakes from becoming tragedies.”
Rumble strips can reduce fatal run-off-road crashes by up to 42 per cent.
“To limit noise to people living along these roads, we don’t install rumble strips close to people’s homes. In these places, textured road markings will be used instead. Textured road markings still give drivers a signal when they cross the line, without making a rumbling sound.”
Over 400 kilometres of either rumble strips or textured markings are planned to be installed across the three sections of highway.
“While we’ll do our best to limit any disruption, there will be times when this work will mean some delays and people will need to allow a little more time for travel on these roads. We appreciate people’s patience while this work is underway. Together, with your cooperation, we can make these highways safer,” Mr Postings says.
Rumble strips and textured markings are part of the Safety Boost Programme’s $6 million worth of improvements in the Gisborne region. It has also installed safety barriers and widened road shoulders at high-risk locations on Gisborne state highways.
The Safety Boost Programme is part of the Safe Network Programme – a collaborative, prioritised programme of proven safety improvements on high risk routes across New Zealand.
More information on the Safety Boost Programme is available on the NZ Transport Agency website at:
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/safety/our-vision-of-a-safe-road-system/safety-boost-programme(external link)
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