Residents campaign for safer road
Call for action on the ‘fastest, most uncontrolled street’
When the expressway opened the dynamics of the road changed immeasurably. Gerald Ponsford
When Gerald Ponsford sees vehicles speeding along Waikanae’s Te Moana Rd, well over the limit, he is concerned someone will get hurt.
The new Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway was opened in 2017 and it caused more traffic to begin using Te Moana Rd, which has a 50km/h limit, at higher speeds.
“When the expressway opened the dynamics of the road changed immeasurably.”
With concerns for public safety, Ponsford and around 300 of the other households on the street formed a loose group, with a couple of key safety improvements in mind.
The first idea was to install three more raised pedestrian crossings and upgrade the existing ones.
Currently, there are two raised pedestrian crossings on Te Moana Rd, but they’re both placed at the southern end, towards the town.
New crossings would allow people to cross further down the road, rather than just at one end.
Refuge zones, which allow pedestrians to stop in the middle of the road, were also briefly discussed but Ponsford thought they would be too confusing for people, who might think they have the right of way.
He also had an issue with the lack of footpaths along the road and noted that people might not need to cross as often if there weren’t so many
spots with missing pavement.
Another one of Ponsford’s suggestions to make the road safer was to install more speed signs, especially on the road, not to the side where people might miss them.
“People get distracted, and they don’t see the signs [when they’re to the side of the road].”
He would also like to see restrictions on the number of trucks allowed
on the road since Te Moana Rd is not designed for that kind of traffic.
“All heavy trucks used to go along the old State Highway 1 which it was built for.”
Ponsford said another issue is the median strip, which is on the road towards the southern end, and he had a couple of reasons why this was making the road less safe.
Firstly, the median means vehicles have a wider distance between them, and Ponsford believed it made people feel more comfortable speeding.
The median also means there is no room for cars to park on the side of the road without sticking out on to the street, which not only discourages people from parking, but drivers also don’t need to be as aware of pedestrians and doors opening.
He said Kāpiti Coast District Council’s
monitoring had shown 36 per cent of vehicles were driving over 56km/h, with 10 per cent travelling at over 61km/h.
Despite admitting speeds are excessive, Ponsford said the council wasn’t taking action, so he has started a petition which has more than 200 signatures.
“It is without a doubt, the fastest, most uncontrolled street in the whole of Kāpiti.
“We’re just wanting to see the council take some action.”
Council’s general manager of infrastructure services Sean Mallon said it expects motorists to comply with the legal posted speed limit on all roads in the district, including Te Moana Rd.
He also said several pedestrian refuges are proposed to be installed on Te Moana Rd between 2024 and 2027 as part of the council’s speed management plan.
“In 2025, we’ll also consult on infrastructure improvements on Kāpiti road corridors, including Te Moana Rd, where the objective is to reduce travel speeds and/or provide safe crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
“Feedback received during that consultation will inform the three yearly review of the speed management plan.”