Speed Humps for Lovelock Avenue

Dunedin, 7 November 2014 – Dunedin’s Lovelock Avenue is about to become safer for visitors and staff at the Dunedin Botanic Garden.

Before the end of the year, the Dunedin City Council will install four speed humps on the road between the entrance to the upper Garden car park and the Opoho sportsfields.

Safety concerns around the speed of vehicles using the road were raised during construction of the new propagation and nursery facilities next to Lovelock Avenue.

DCC Senior Transportation Engineer Lisa Clifford says as a result, temporary speed humps were trialled as part of a wider traffic management plan. This trial proved successful, with mean vehicle speeds dropping by up to 21%.

A temporary speed hump close to the entrance to the upper Garden car park resulted in a mean vehicle speed of 32km/hr. According to the New Zealand Transport Agency, if a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, the severity of their injuries is related to the impact speed. A pedestrian struck at 30km/hr has a 10% probability of being killed, compared to 70% if struck at 50km/hr. The risks for vulnerable pedestrians, such as the elderly and young children, are even higher.

Ms Clifford says given the potential risk to Garden staff and visitors, a permanent speed hump will be installed close to the entrance to the upper Garden car park, with three more towards the Opoho sportsfields.

“Pedestrians in Dunedin have the second highest risk of being injured compared to other local authorities and this is a small step towards improving that position.”

With visitor car parks and staff facilities now located on both sides of Lovelock Avenue, more people will be crossing the road.

Botanic Garden (Curator) Team Leader Alan Matchett says, “It’s very important that visitors are able to cross the roadway safely. These improvements are definitely steps in the right direction. As well as the benefit for visitors, these improvements will help ensure Botanic Garden staff are provided with a safe working environment when crossing Lovelock Avenue to and from the new propagation and nursery facilities.”

Installing the permanent speed humps is expected to cost $25,000 and is part of long-term improvements to pedestrian safety around the perimeter of the upper Garden.

ENDS

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