NZTA to upgrade SH2 crash hotspot

CHANGES: East Taratahi Rd resident Diane Laing hopes changes to the East Taratahi and Wiltons roads intersections on SH2will make the roads safer for drivers. PHOTO/ALISA YONG

THE NZ Transport Agency has announced plans to improve an accident-prone stretch of State Highway 2.

NZTA has said it will create flush median areas on SH2 at both the Wiltons and East Taratahi roads intersections this summer, and says it is also considering installing warning signs that will instruct drivers to slow down when there are cars waiting to turn on to the highway.

There have been several crashes at the intersection, including one on July 20, in which a was van propelled through a roadside fence and 60m into a paddock,

Regional performance manager Mark Owen said the location was a challenging one, with both East Taratahi Rd and Wiltons Rd forming intersections.

"Having two adjacent off-set side roads means drivers have to be on their toes.

"We share the desire of the local community to make these intersections safer, and we're working through a couple of solutions that we think could make a difference."

The painting of a flush median in the centre of SH2 would create space for vehicles turning into Wiltons and East Taratahi roads and was expected to be completed this summer when the road was resurfaced.

A design was yet to be finalised, but it would make provision for vehicles entering and exiting Wiltons and East Taratahi roads.

"Turning right on to the highway can be a real challenge when traffic is busy, and therefore this painted median will help to segregate traffic and make turning safer.

"Nobody deserves to be seriously injured or killed for a simple mistake, and these changes will make these intersections safer and more forgiving," Mr Owen said.

The agency was also looking at installing "rural intersection activated warning signs" on SH2. The signs are activated on the highway when the system detects vehicles waiting to turn from side roads, warning motorists that turning traffic is ahead, and instructs them to lower their speed to 70km/h.

The signs would reduce the risk and severity of crashes by slowing down drivers as they approached the intersection, Mr Owen said.

Work was under way to assess the crash history of the intersection and the suitability of the signs for the location and if approval was given, installation would occur later this year, he said.

According to NZTA figures, there have been 17 reported crashes at these intersections from 2005 to 2014, one of them serious, six resulting in minor injuries, and 10 without injuries.

There was also a death involving a pedestrian about 200m from the intersections in 2006.

East Taratahi Rd resident Diane Laing, who lives on the SH2 corner and has been lobbying for changes to the intersection for years, said the corner was "an engineer's nightmare".

"I will really be pleased to get this corner a bit safer than it is, because it's a nightmare.

"There's been so many (accidents) I don't count them any more, and we've had a lot of crashes coming through the fence."

She hoped the planned improvements would make a difference and that NZTA would consult residents on the new layout.

"We will be very grateful if they can cut the accident rate and even if it's one life, it's a life saved. If a life's gone, it's gone."