A month ago, a crash on the Hickey Road involving a truck and a van killed one person and a second person was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Weeks before, two people died in a head-on crash between a car and an ambulance on the same stretch of road.
Former Waikato District mayor Allan Sanson, former Waipā mayor Jim Mylchreest and Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate then wrote a joint letter to Transport Minister Michael Wood, calling for "immediate action", while the Waikato business community called on Wood and NZTA chief executive Nicole Rosie to visit the "death trap".
Since 2000, there have been 29 fatalities on this 19km part of the road between Cambridge and the intersection of SH1 and SH29.
"Every fatal or serious injury crash on the road is one too many and devastates the families and communities of all those involved," Speirs says.
He says while NZTA was working on extending the Waikato Expressway across the Piarere area and other more permanent solutions, there were short term things the agency can do.
"Probably the most influential will be the temporary reduction of the speed limit to 80km/h from 100km/h from north of Hickey Road to south of the Karāpiro Road/SH1 intersection," Speirs says.
Permanent safety improvements Waka Kotahi will be implementing include installing 'High Crash Area' signs north of Hickey Road and south of Karāpiro Road.
As well, electronic warning signs, improved rumble strips, hit sticks and edge marker posts will be introduced so drivers can be discouraged from cutting corners.
Wide painted median strips will be added to a strip between the end of the expressway and Fergusson Gully Road to provide more space between opposing traffic.
The wide painted centre lines are an interim measure, while Waka Kotahi prepares to install flexible median barriers.
Speirs says flexible median barriers were one of the best ways to save lives on the roads.
"Up to 75 per cent of the people who die or are seriously injured on rural roads have either had a head-on collision, or have run off the road, and the proven solution to preventing head-on crashes is to physically separate opposing traffic, using flexible median barriers.
"If someone loses control or drifts across the centreline, the result isn't a deadly crash; instead, the steel cables flex, absorb the impact, slow your vehicle and keep it upright."
NZTA says that while not as effective, wide-painted median strips have been shown to reduce crashes resulting in deaths or serious injuries by up to 35 per cent.
The speed restriction will remain in place until the other safety infrastructure is installed.
NZTA will hold an information day on November 17 from 1pm to 6pm at the Cambridge Town Hall where the community can have a say about the proposed safety initiatives and the longer-term plans for the expressway.
Later this month there will also be an online survey on this on the NZTA website.
