Cornfoot St resident Jamie Ryan has started a petition to the Whanganui District Council over the safety of the Cornfoot St, Morgan St and Short St intersection.
Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Cornfoot St resident Jamie Ryan has started a petition to the Whanganui District Council over the safety of the Cornfoot St, Morgan St and Short St intersection.
Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
A petition advocating safety improvements to a major Castlecliff intersection has gained more than 200 signatures.
It was started by Jamie Ryan, who wants to see improvements to the intersection of Cornfoot St, Morgan St, Short St and Bryce St.
He has lived on Cornfoot St for threeyears and has seen and heard many incidents.
He was spurred into action after a cornering car lost control and drove through his neighbour’s front yard and into his, crashing into a retaining wall.
The aftermath of the most recent crash into Jamie Ryan's retaining wall. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Ryan said he spoke with his neighbours after the incident and decided a conversation needed to be started with Whanganui District Council.
“A lot of people have been thinking about this for a long time before we got here - I’m just putting the pieces together,” he said.
“It’s not a new issue for council, they know about this intersection.”
Other incidents include three crashes into the properties on the corner of Morgan St, at least four power poles replaced after cars collided with them and two crashes into the traffic barrier.
“As a community, we are deeply concerned for the wellbeing of our families and the long-term safety of our neighbourhood,” Ryan said.
“The frequency of these accidents cannot be ignored, and we believe it is time for local authorities to take action.”
Council’s transport manager Mark Allingham said he understood why residents were concerned, but the solutions were not straightforward.
“Our road safety engineer has reviewed the area and while speed humps are often suggested, they’re not the most effective solution in this case,” he said.
“These types of static measures don’t deter dangerous driving and can create noise issues for neighbouring residents.”
Allingham said the “real issue is anti-social behaviour”.
“Like boy racers doing burnouts, leaving tyre marks and debris - a broader approach focused on driver behaviour and enforcement is recommended.”
A new corrugated barrier is being installed on the corner to replace the original one, which was impacted by another crash.
Residents on Cornfoot St are concerned for their safety following a series of recent crashes. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Meanwhile, Ryan wanted to see traffic calming measures put in place, such as better road signs, speed bumps, rumble strips, lighting, or a reconfiguration of the corner if needed.
“Everyone’s experienced it, everyone’s getting used to it, which is something that you shouldn’t have to get used to.
“There’s real danger that is not going away, and not a lot is currently being done to talk to people and see what we need - that’s the need for this because it will start conversations.”
