Police Eastern District road policing manager Inspector Matt Broderick. Photo / File
Motorists will be told to improve driving behaviour on the Napier-Taupō road as steps are taken to prevent further crashes after a spike in tragedies on the highway in the last seven months.
The steps,based around raising the profile of safety and danger issues on the 125km eastern stretch of State Highway 5 are being planned by the NZ Police and national highways agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency as they work with the Hawke's Bay Regional Land Transport Committee (HBRLT) and other authorities on plans to improve the road in the future, up against priorities across the highways network nationwide.
Highlighting the ultimate issue, HBRLT chairman Martin Williams said: "We can't just build an autobahn over those ranges. It's unrealistic."
Longer term the committee is working towards having significant investment in the road in the next Regional Land Transport Plan for inclusion in the NZTA's regional national transport programme next year.
But it doesn't mean ignoring "the problem" in the meantime, and Williams said: "We are totally focused on road safety as a regional investment."
Police Eastern District road policing manager Matt Broderick said it's accepted there are urgent issues, but from a police perspective it's currently about working on unsafe driving issues.
He said that despite road conditions, crashes on the highway are "always as a result of the driving behaviour."
NZTA acting regional transport systems manager Helen Harris said: "We recognise that the recent crashes on the SH5 corridor are a concern for residents and we are undertaking further analysis of the factors involved to determine if there are specific issues or areas on the road that require "immediate attention."
A $36 million safety improvement programme for SH2 and over $20m for other safety improvements throughout Hawke's Bay in recent years included SH5 work such as centre and side line rumble strips and additional guard rail, and a $12m programme of maintenance and renewal works includes a large renewal (resealing, rebuilding and water cutting) programme for SH5.
Motoring representatives, the AA, on Tuesday repeated a call for "quick action" what it calls "the most dangerous highway in the region that has not had major recent safety work." District chairman Paul Michaelson said drivers have been raising issues "about it not being up to standard for some time.
"It's unbelievable that we don't have a plan to fix SH5, and I find this hugely frustrating," he said.
"The AA is calling for NZTA to complete a business case under urgency followed by an active management plan to bring the highway up to standard," he said. "Upgrading SH5 to make it safer needs to happen now."
Meanwhile, police on the road could soon have one of the first of a new fleet of SUV-styled vehicles being introduced nationwide in the battle against the road toll.
Awaiting the first vehicle's arrival in Hawke's Bay, Broderick expects it will be dedicated to road policing and be part of the visibility of police on the highway.