Slow vehicle lane closed on Napier-Taupō highway

The scene of the restrictions in a southbound lane of State Highway 5 near the Titiokura Saddle between Napier and Taupō. Photo / Paul Taylor

Problems with State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō have been exposed again with the closing of the inside lane of a two-lane passing zone because of dangers posed by loose seal and a slippery road surface at the start of the busy Christmas and New Year holidays.

The closure of one downhill southbound lane near the Titiokura Saddle, about 47km from Napier, was advised by Government highways management agency Waka Kotahi NZTA on Thursday afternoon, a few hours after being told of the problems by a motorist through a highway issues Facebook page.

A speed limit of 50km/h has also been imposed – where road cones had all been knocked over at one stage on Friday morning - but the advisory gave no explanation other than that the closure was for “safety reasons”. It sparked public conjecture that it was another part of the Road to Zero plan that has seen the controversial permanent lowering of the speed limit from 100km/h to 80km/h over more than half of the distance of SH5 distance between its junction with SH2 north of Bay View and Taupo.

SH5 issues campaigner Tony Alexander told Hawke’s Bay Today on Thursday the issue had been raised by a motorist earlier in the day, and it was reassuring that NZTA was “now listening and responding to our member’s complaints in a timely fashion”.

“It is disappointing that their own contractors aren’t picking up issues such as this but I’m grateful that it’s being treated seriously to avoid any major issues during the Christmas period,” he said.

The SH5 issues Facebook page he runs now has 6800 members, and Alexander says they are quick to send information about road conditions, which is passed on to NZTA.

There was a similar example on the highway in July when near-instant and even greater restrictions, including stop-go lights, were put in place after truck drivers revealed concerns about a washout and undermining of a section of the southbound lane between Te Haroto and Tarawera.

Planning for repairs started immediately and work started within three weeks, leading to the full use of the road being restored in early September.

Meanwhile, Eastern Police District road policing manager Inspector Matt Broderick was unaware of any specific road incidents in the area of the site of the latest steps.

But he said police will be watching closely on all the highways as traffic intensifies over the Christmas weekend, with travel on SH5, and SH2 extending the north-south length of Hawke’s Bay expected to increase particularly from Boxing Day.

He expects further build-up as visitors flock into the region for events in Hawke’s Bay and the East Coast through New Year’s Eve and into 2023.

Police nationwide were appealing to holidaymakers to make sure their vehicles are “fully” roadworthy, and to plan trips to allow plenty of time without speeding.

“Incidents on the roads will happen,” Broderick said. “But it is the speed that most affects the outcome.”

He also appealed to motorists reporting “anti-social” or other dangerous or illegal driving to record what they see, so that if police “can’t be there” they can intervene with evidence to back up the complaints.

By yesterday there had been 361 deaths on New Zealand roads this year, the highest annual toll since 2018.

In Hawke’s Bay and Tararua this year there had been 18 fatalities, up on the 10 of last year but down on the figures over the previous three years – 20 in 2018, 24 in 2019, and 23 in 2020, the first year of Covid-19 lockdowns.

The Ministry of Transport and police holiday road toll period was starting at 4pm on Friday and ends at 6am on January 4. Last year there were 16 holiday toll period deaths nationwide, the highest for more than five years.