Blackhead Road corridor intersection improvements (photo: Dunedin City Council)
The Tunnel Beach Road and Emerson Road intersections along the corridor were the site of two fatalities and seven serious injuries over a ten-year period.
Blackhead Road provides access to and from Tunnel Beach which is becoming an increasingly popular leisure destination as well as being close to an expanding residential area.
The safe system changes are expected to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 60% and include two urban roundabouts with raised safety platforms at each intersection and a new 1km shared path for people walking and cycling. Street lighting has also been improved to make the area safer at night.
“The new roundabouts have completely changed the driving environment and reduced speeds in the area. The proposed subdivisions and anticipated growth in tourist traffic will be well catered for with these improvements. It is particularly good to see the shared path being used by people walking. The path has enabled residents to go for a walk or a run without the need to drive somewhere and one disabled resident, that uses a powered wheelchair, can now access a more rural area from his home in the urban area, which is fantastic,” says Dunedin City Council Transport Strategy Manager Nick Sargent.
