The government’s strategy for installing highway median barriers is needlessly alienating rural residents, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who has spent over 25 years campaigning for improved cars and roads, says:

“The science is quite clear: median barriers are a proven way of saving lives. However, the way in which median barriers have been imposed in country areas has alienated rural residents and produced a huge push-back against these projects.”

“It’s not the median barriers that are causing the problems: It’s the way in which they are imposed on the locals. For example, in Katikati in the Bay of Plenty, the new median barrier will stop the locals turning across the highway. This will add up to 7km each day on some routine local journeys.“

“Gaps can easily be installed in median barriers, so that farmers can turn into their driveways rather than having to drive several kilometres up the road and then turn around. Obviously, the less gaps in a median barrier, the better, but there has to be a balance between the need for a barrier and the need for the locals to go about their daily business.”

Matthew-Wilson is highly critical of the ‘inflexible’ manner in which the New Zealand Transport Agency has dealt with rural communities.

“NZTA ‘consultation’ is often a sham: regardless of the objections, NZTA generally bulldozes straight ahead with its plans anyway.”

“Locals aren’t generally opposed to median barriers and other safety improvements. Instead, these locals are opposed to safety improvements being installed in a way that disrupts the locals' ability to commute easefully within their districts.”

“If NZTA would simply listen to the locals and make alterations to their plans (such as leaving some gaps in the median barrier to enable locals to make simple journeys), most of these objections would melt away overnight.”

Matthew-Wilson fears that NZTA’s inflexible attitude will result in far less median barriers being installed nationally.

“Median barriers, roadside barriers and roundabouts are simple, proven lifesaving technology. All this technology can be installed in a way that causes minimal disruption to local traffic. It’s shameful that the government is messing up this once-in-a–lifetime opportunity to dramatically reduce our painfully high road toll.”

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