Lower speed limits likely
More speed limit changes and a sculpture are on the road ahead for Waipa¯ drivers.
Waipa¯ District Council spent $190,000 on installing 200 new speed limit signs during November, as part of a national plan to lower speeds and improve road safety.
More speed limit changes are planned for State Highway 39, which runs from O¯ torohanga in the south, connecting to the Waikato Expressway near Horotiu.
The council’s service delivery committee will hear from NZ Transport Agency on proposed speed limit changes for the Kakaramea Rd section of SH39, which runs through the Waipa¯ district.
A report by the council’s transportation planning engineer, Xinghao Chen, said the council would seek public feedback on the changes made in November and any further road safety improvements.
The feedback would help the council develop a 10-year speed management plan for the district, as required by government.
The plan must include short-term and long-term road safety goals; speed limit changes for the whole network; and future improvements to roads. Chen’s report said a few people complained after the speed limit changes were made in November.
‘‘Students from Cambridge East Primary school led a discussion with transportation engineers about this project, and provided some great suggestions for improvements to the roads.’’
The committee will also be asked to endorse a plan to install a sculpture in the centre of the new roundabout outside the Avantidrome and St Peter’s Cambridge.
The sculpture features five metal poles that would act as an art and lighting feature. Installation would take about three weeks and cost $65,000.