Black spot crossing could be closed

A Palmerston North railway crossing near where two emergency department doctors died in a crash in August could be closed within a year.

The intersection of Railway Rd and Roberts Line has already had safety improvements and temporary speed limits imposed since the deaths of James Huang and

Vinay Angadi.

The crash happened while the city council was consulting people about changes to its Speed Limits Bylaw.

As a result of feedback, including pleas from the young doctors’ friends and colleagues, the revised bylaw will reduce the speed limit on both roads from 100kmh to 60kmh, lower than the 80kmh originally proposed. If the crossing were closed Roberts Line would become a cul-de-sac.

Council transport and infrastructure manager Robert van Bentum told the council’s planning and strategy committee yesterday staff were investigating how to go about closing the crossing.

Kiwirail has already said it intends to close the railway crossing and another at Clevely Line when it develops its proposed rail freight yards, which would include closing that part of Railway Rd parallel to the new freight centre.

It has lodged a notice of requirement to designate land for the development.

But van Bentum said Kiwirail was unlikely to close the crossing for five or more years. ‘‘We are hoping we could do it in six or eight months. In light of the recent fatalities, we have been looking at a legal mechanism for the process of how we could proceed with a proposal.’’

He said staff believed the council did have the power to initiate the proposal, but it could be complex.

Kiwirail would have to be part of the negotiations, and there would be a need to consult the community and hear submissions.

Cr Brent Barrett said he was pleased to see council staff had been prepared to go beyond simply looking at speed limits to deal with critical safety problems.

The council plans another round of speed limit reviews next year, including proposals for variable speed zones around more schools.