Mayor angry at SH5 risks

Doing nothing is no longer an option after the deaths of eight people on State Highway 5 in the past 12 months, the mayor of Hastings says.

Sandra Hazlehurst said the fatalities all occurred at notorious spots on the Napier-Taupo¯ Rd, including Rangitaiki, Te Ha¯roto and Te Po¯hue – the last two in the Hastings District.

Since 2014, there have been more than 250 crashes reported between Eskdale and Tarawera, ranging from fatalities to noninjury.

Teang Atauea, 10, of Wairoa, died in Hawke’s Bay Hospital on June 23. Her father, Biiri Tokamwemwe, said the loss was causing the family ‘‘extreme hardship’’.

His other daughter is recovering in Starship children’s hospital after the single-vehicle crash on June 21.

Joshua Van Hooijdonk, 19, and Maja Sanders, 20, were killed in a car accident on the Napier-Taupo¯ Rd on May 16.

Maja’s father, Bruce Sanders, said that if SH5 was a workplace,

WorkSafe New Zealand would have shut it down by now.

Hazlehurst said the community was fed up at the lack of action on road safety.

‘‘I am getting multiple calls a day from concerned residents and community members who are extremely frustrated and scared – they don’t know what else to do other than call the mayor.’’

Hazlehurst had spoken to both local and national New Zealand Transport Agency representatives but was yet to see action.

Business owner Dan Gale, who lives and works on SH5, said the road was riddled with potholes in places. A lot of the damage was on corners where there were no warning signs.

It’s understood that a programme business case for the route was included in the last Hawke’s Bay Regional Land Transport Plan to commence in 2020-21, but was not included for funding in the National Land Transport Programme.

NZTA systems manager Oliver Postings said the agency had invested heavily on the region’s state highway networks. This included work on SH5, such as centreline and sideline rumble strips and additional guard rails.