Work is getting underway next week to complete installation of rumble strips on four sections of state highway in Manawatū-Whanganui – part of the NZ Transport Agency’s Safety Boost Programme for making rural state highways safer.
Over the coming months, the programme will be completing the installation of rumble strips on the following roads:
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 Mark Owen 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 for 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.”
Either rumble strips or textured markings will be installed on approximately 80 kilometres of road across these four 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,” Mr Owen says.
In addition to rumble strips and textured markings, the Safety Boost Programme has also installed safety barriers and widened road shoulders at high-risk locations on Manawatū-Whanganui 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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