Speed limits lowered outside rural school
Pupils who fear walking to school have had their plea for lower speed limits in a Manawatu¯ village answered after growing concern for their safety.
For years pupils at Hiwinui School have evaded oncoming traffic by jumping into roadside ditches as the volume of vehicles rushing through the narrow and undulating rural settlement increases.
The village, 11 kilometres from Palmerston North, is surrounded by unfavourable terrain, with restricted roadside space for footpaths. In some places, there is only 1.3 metres between the road and fence.
Now, the Manawatu¯ District Council will install electric signs, costing $21,000, and reduce the speed limit on roads near the school to 60kmh. Footpaths are also on the horizon, although a timeline to build them hasn’t yet been scheduled.
Engineering company Beca carried out a safety assessment in 2016 and its recommendations included a variable speed limit outside the school.
Curtis Mckenzie, 12, told councillors at a meeting earlier this year that about 20 children walked to school.
The wavy contours made it difficult for motorists to see children walking, and although some drivers were kind enough to slow down, others ploughed straight ahead, forcing walkers to jump off the road and into the drain.
Hiwinui Community Committee chairman Arthur Wood said the problem was compounded by urban development in the area and increased traffic from Saddle Rd, following the closure of the crippled Manawatu¯ Gorge route last year.
A review found there had been four crashes near the school since 2005, although none had occurred in the past two years.
In 2009, a pedestrian was killed when struck by a vehicle. In the other three crashes, two were seriously injured and one person suffered minor injuries.
Wood said conversations between residents and the council had stretched over two years. Despite recent advancements, the committee would continue to advocate for more safety work in the village.
Next on the list would be building a suitable car park for the school.
‘‘Cars just fly through and there’s a lot of them. All children are picked up by cars and there’s no space for parking.
‘‘We’ve just got to, where we can, keep working to make it safer,’’ Wood said.
The council’s project engineer Matt Williams said officials initially began looking into the roads around Hiwinui School – Watershed Rd and Reid Line East – in 2016.
A consultant found the biggest risk to children’s safety was a collision between two vehicles during pick-up and drop-off times.
The reduced speed limits would, therefore, be imposed between 8.35am and 9am, and 2.50pm and 3.25pm.
The council had also improved signage warning motorists the school was ahead.
The New Zealand Transport Agency’s safer journeys for schools programme allowed the council to apply for a subsidy so ratepayers didn’t wear the full burden.
‘‘Cars just fly through and there’s a lot of them.’’ Arthur Wood, Hiwinui Community Committee chairman