Safety plan for highway released
A roundabout or traffic lights at one of Palmerston North’s busiest intersections could be under construction within a year.
Those are the options for the crash black spot where Roberts Line meets Napier Rd that the New Zealand Transport Agency has put out for public feedback.
A couple about to embark on rezoning the last patch of rural land halfway between Keith St and Roberts Line for residential development want whichever can be done fastest.
‘‘It needs to be there yesterday,’’ said Lynette Cruden.
She and husband Vaughan want traffic lights at ‘‘the death trap’’, because they believe they could be installed almost immediately and more cheaply than a roundabout.
With phasing, it would also provide safe crossing for cyclists and pedestrians.
Cyclist Greg Tuthill said he would prefer an underpass, separated from vehicle traffic.
He cycled most days from Hokowhitu, along the Manawatu¯ Riverside shared pathway, along Te Matai Rd and across the state highway to Roberts Line.
‘‘It’s a lovely ride apart from this bit where you try hard not to die.’’
Tuthill said sun strike was a problem in the mornings, and it never occurred to motorists turning right off a stop sign to give way to straight-through cyclists.
The agency is planning improvements for the section of State Highway 3 from Keith St to Stoney Creek Rd to bring it up to urban standards, improve safety and cater for extra traffic generated by Kelvin Grove’s growth.
There are five options. Three propose a roundabout at Roberts Line, and two would have traffic lights.
There are options for traffic lights or improved road markings at Keith St, the prospect of intersection changes at the bottom of James Line and a roundabout at Stoney Creek Rd.
There would be improved pedestrian and cycling paths and crossing points, with three options including a variable speed limit outside Whakarongo School.
Project manager David Mcgonigal said sorting Roberts Line was a priority that needed attention regardless of future development.
The costs of the project were not known, and depended on which option was chosen, but the indicative cost of a large roundabout could be $2.5 million to $3m. Feedback is welcomed for a couple of weeks.
‘‘It’s a lovely ride apart from this bit where you try hard not to die.’’ – Greg Tuthill