Marae access safety addressed
Access to amarae on the main road out of Feilding is to be made saferwith the addition of a turning bay and median strip.
The Manawatū District Council is progressing a proposal to build a right-turn bay and flush median to outsideAorangi Marae on Waughs Rd, following concerns raised by iwi.
This would provide awaiting area for turning traffic, reducing the risk of rear-end collisions.
Council infrastructure manager Hamish Waugh said the approval process was largely done.
It had taken some time as the land involved belonged to three different parties; Waka Kotahi, council and KiwiRail. ‘‘We are waiting for an approval from KiwiRail. An independent safety audit has already been carried out. If everything goes well, we can start the construction in between four and six months.’’
The council would provide a design concept for the right-turn bay and median strip from the Camerons Line intersection along Waughs Rd, through the KiwiRail corridor, to access the marae.
Approval for construction would also require an amendment to Waka Kotahi’s owned and operated portion of Waughs Rd at the Camerons Line intersection, and a deed of grant from KiwiRail to occupy around 210 square metres of its land.
Aorangi Marae Trustees chairperson Meihana Durie said four collisions occurred in the past two years as vehicles coming from Feilding had to suddenly slow down to take a right turn to enter the marae.
‘‘Every time a vehicle slows down to enter the marae, there is a risk involved. Everyone who passes through the road is at risk.
‘‘As kaitiaki [guardians] of the marae, we have a responsibility to all the people who visit the marae, live around it and even those who pass through the road.’’
Durie had been taking the matter up with the council since 2020.
An unused $287,585 in new capital budget funding that was a part of the roading budget for the 2021-31 10-Year Plan could be used to partially fund the project.