A boost for rural highways’ safety

State highways in Manawatu¯ and Whanganui are in line for safety improvements as the Government targets rural routes to get the road toll down.

The Government has announced $22.5 million in funding to improve road safety, as the road toll hits a seven-year high.

State Highway 1 between Bulls and Foxton and SH3 between Bulls and Whangaehu are stretches of road that have been included on the hit list.

SH4 from Taumarunui to National Park and Tohunga Junction to Whanganui, as well as a stretch of SH2 in the Tararua District, have also been included.

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced the short-term funding boost on Sunday.

Any improvements to roads would not be in place until February next year, Genter said.

Ministry of Transport and NZ Transport Agency figures show 359 people have died on New Zealand roads so far this year.

It’s not just rural roads that have had problems, however, with crashes in the town of Bulls itself.

Hayden Tahau, a 26-year-old from Taupo¯ , died in March when his motorbike collided with another vehicle on Bridge St in the Rangitı¯kei town. Police said they had been in pursuit of Tahau after he failed to stop, but abandoned the chase shortly before the crash.

In April, a truck crashed into the Bulls RSA.

The crash took out the front veranda of the building.

In 2012, Frederick Thomas Nathan, 37, of Dannevirke, died after his truck crashed into the same RSA.

The funding has been reallocated from within the state highways budget. Genter said she didn’t expect this reallocation would result in other projects being put on hold.

Improvements would include rumble strips, signage and safety barriers. Many deaths and injuries could be avoided by making some relatively simple changes, Genter said.