Highway action demanded
Palmerston North civic leaders are calling for urgent safety improvements on Napier Rd before there are more fatalities.
The latest two deaths on the stretch of State Highway 3 happened on May 22, when a two-car crash left a trail of debris across both lanes.
Because the road is a highway, the city council has to wait for the New Zealand Transport Agency tomake decisions on how tomake it safer.
City councillor Leonie Hapeta said people were angry about the crashes happening on the stretch of road from the urban area through to Stoney Creek Rd.
‘‘We are not doing enough, and not saying enough. Do we need more fatalities before something is done?
‘‘Our community is getting angrier about it, and we need to be angry about it too.’’
As well as the recent double fatality, a motorcyclist died in a crash at the intersection of Upper Main St last month, and another person died near the Stoney Creek Rd intersection inmarch.
Transport agency regional relationships director Emma Speight said community engagement was about to start on speed limits on Napier Rd between Palmerston North and Whakarongo.
But there has still been no word from the agency on the outcome of consultation in August, 2018, about managing the intersections from Keith St to Stoney Creek Rd.
At that time it was suggested work on a roundabout or traffic lights at the crash black spot intersection of Napier Rd and Roberts Line could start within a year.
Agency regional transport systems manager Ross I’anson said yesterday a detailed business case had been completed and the agency expected to be able to make announcements about next steps in the coming months.
In November last year agency portfolio manager Sarah Downs said announcements were expected to be made early this year.
Meantime, the city council has carried out its own project at Stoney Creek Rd to move the intersection with the state highway away from the entrance to Whakarongo School.
Cr Lew Findlay said Napier Rd had been recognised as a road safety problem since the 1990s, but the issues had never been dealt with because it was under the agency’s control.
Mayor Grant Smith said he was sure the road would have been improved by now if it were in Auckland or Wellington. ‘‘But it’s not even on the schedule for two years. We are limited in what we can do, unless we get really noisy.’’
NZAA Manawatu¯ district chairman Garry Goodman said he was not convinced there was strong evidence many crashes could be attributed to the state of the road.
Until there was an alternative ring road around Palmerston North, the capacity of State Highway 3 to perform as an arterial route needed to be maintained.
He recognised the road was increasingly serving local, urban traffic, but he did not favour lower speed limits or traffic lights until through-traffic had an alternative.
Goodman said the city council’s project to remove conflict between traffic at Whakarongo School and the state highway was a good solution, that maintained the highway’s function.
The AA has promoted the regional ring road project to the Government’s shovelready projects fund.
‘‘We are not doing enough, and not saying enough. Do we need more fatalities before something is done?’’
Leonie Hapeta
City councillor