9 October 2018

Consultation with the community on proposed speed limits for State Highway One both north and south of Kaikōura by the New Zealand Transport Agency has begun.
In December 2017, when SH1 re-opened after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes, an emergency speed limit of 80km/h in the areas north and south of Kaikōurawas put in place on sections of the highway between the Clarence River (north of Kaikōura) and the Conway River (south of Kaikōura).

“As the emergency speed limit expires shortly, the Transport Agency is undertaking a speed management review to set permanent, safe and appropriate speeds for these sections of highway,” says Tony Spowart, Principal Traffic and Safety Engineer for the Transport Agency.

• It is proposed to make the 80km/h emergency speed limit permanent from Waipapa Bay to near Kiwa Road, Hapuku, north of Kaikōura.

• It is also proposed for the 80km/h speed limit to cover south of Kaikōura from Peketa to near Claverley Road, Conway Flats. (The coastal area speed limit in this section has been 80km/h for many years.)

• Within the southern section of highway, it is also proposed to permanently reduce the speed limit through a section of the Hundalee Hills, to 60km/h. This steep, windy and challenging road has numerous curve warning signs at 25, 35 and 45km/h and there have been accidents, including fatal ones, on this section of road.

“Many of these sections of highway are bounded by railway and coast and there are a large number of high-risk curves. There is also additional risk with many people wanting to stop in the various amenity areas on this picturesque road,” says Mr Spowart.

For the five year period from 2012 to 2016, four people were killed and 15 people seriously injured on these sections of highway.

State Highway 1 was re-opened in December 2017 under an emergency speed limit of 80km/h. In the period since the road was re-opened, extensive road repairs continued.

“Since then up to August 2018, there have been no deaths or serious injury crashes on this road, but there have been seven crashes, with six minor injuries.”

The Transport Agency’s public consultation on the proposed permanent speed limits on these sections of highway will run until Friday, 2 November, 2018.

• There will be a number of ways people can be involved in this consultation including on-line by visiting: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh1-picton-to-christchurch/proposed-speed-limits/

• Or completing the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3N6PFDZ

• Consultation documentation will also be available from the Hurunui, Kaikōura and Marlborough Council offices and libraries.

ends

© Scoop Media