Report on Pareora road due

The future of a stretch of road at Pareora, which is the centre of two online petitions calling for safety improvements, should soon be known with a report by the NZ Transport Agency almost complete.

The NZTA met with Pareora residents last year to discuss various safety concerns regarding two intersections on state highways close to the township.

An NZ Transport Agency spokesperson said the report back to the Timaru District Council, and the community, on speed management at Pareora is now being finalised.

Last week a petition was started to reduce the speed limit and improve the road layout on the section of the Timaru-Pareora Highway where Kelly Anne Cindal Pattinson, 31, of Waimate was killed when her car collided with a truck on Wednesday.

The petition had reached more than 3,600 signatures as of 4pm on Monday.

However, despite residents’ calls to have the speed limit reduced, the spokesperson said Wednesday’s fatal crash, as well as another crash which claimed the life of Timaru man Daniel Anderson, 40, in September, did not appear to be speed related.

‘‘The indications are, and bearing in mind the full report and reasons for the recent tragic fatality crash are still being investigated, that both crashes would have occurred regardless of the speed limit at each site.

‘‘A high-risk intersection guide is currently being developed, which will help road controlling authorities identify and improve the safety of high-risk intersections within their jurisdictions.’’

The NZTA was aware of the two online petitions to have speed limits reduced and road layouts changed in Pareora, they said.

However, the spokesperson said neither had yet been formally presented to the NZTA.

In November, NZTA senior traffic safety engineer David Scarlet said it was committed to working with communities to find the right mix of solutions.

‘‘We want to prevent crashes from happening, and make crashes that do occur survivable.

‘‘With respect to speed limits, the NZ Transport Agency uses the Speed Management Guide to identify and prioritise state highways where better speed management will most effectively contribute to reducing deaths and serious injuries.

‘‘The Speed Management Guide provides a national framework that helps the NZ Transport Agency and councils make informed, accurate decisions in their communities.’’

NZTA South Canterbury maintenance contract manager John Keenan confirmed a highway maintenance team did remedial works on Saturday to the sealed surface in the vicinity of the Pareora township and on the section of road where the fatal accident occurred.

‘‘The recent hot temperatures have resulted in bitumen bleeding through the sealed surfaces on a number of our state highways.

‘‘This problem also occurs at some intersections where turning stress from heavy vehicles on hot days also affects the sealed surfaces.

‘‘These remedial works are a normal maintenance response to this problem.’’

Last week Canterbury police warned on their Facebook page that roads could suffer tarseal bleeding.

AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon said

NZTA used a scrim truck on the country’s state highways each year to measure skid resistance.

He urged motorists to report signs of tarseal bleeding to NZTA.