Bay of Plenty highway barriers: Locals claim truck drove wrong way on highway

The median barriers on State Highway 2 in Aongatete. Photo / David Hall

A group of residents who have been campaigning against wire median barriers on State Highway 2 in the Bay of Plenty claim a container truck was seen driving on the wrong side of the highway at Wright Rd to avoid having to use a roundabout.

The group claimed this morning in a social media post shared by resident and campaigner Rochelle Zajko that a Wright Rd resident witnessed a truck exiting the road right on to SH2 and driving 1.3km on the wrong side of the highway.

The post was headed “NZTA Urgent Meeting Request 6″.

Wire median safety barriers have been installed along sections of SH2 between Waihī and Ōmokoroa, preventing right-hand turns.

The claim comes 10 days after Zajko took a petition to the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee asking for the reinstatement of a safe right-hand turning bay into Wright Rd.

In a message shared with SunLive this morning, Zajko wrote: “NZTA, you need to fix this major flaw, and stop the radio silence and avoidance. Why is it so hard?

“Get a team, come here, and address it now. Restore the right-hand turn immediately.”

Zajko said she believed the nearby roundabout would be difficult for a truck to manoeuvre around.

An NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi spokesperson said NZTA could not comment.

“Illegal driving manoeuvres put lives at risk and are a matter for NZ Police.

“NZTA continues to assess the safety of the corridor, including intersections such as Wright Rd, balancing the considerations of local residents with the safety of all SH2 users.”

A police spokesperson said anyone who witnessed dangerous or illegal driving was encouraged to report it to the police with as many details as possible, so it could be investigated.