MP asks why no money will be spent on Napier-Taupō road after seven people dead

Thursday, 21 May 2020

Those who live near State Highway 5 have seen their fair share of fatalities.

Since a double fatality last weekend, Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst has received calls from concerned drivers and residents who live, drive and commute on the notorious Napier Taupō Rd.

Hazlehurst said she had met with local Labour MP and police minister Stuart Nash and was meeting with the chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) on Thursday, to express community concerns about the road.

'I have been personally contacted by truck drivers, people living on the road and commuters who drive State Highway 5 every week.'

Hazlehurst said it was 'unbelievable' to think there were no plans for significant improvements for the road, which was of huge importance to the Hawke's Bay region, despite the 'terrible' crash statistics, which included seven fatalities in the last six months.

**READ MORE:

Te Pohue resident Murray King would often find that a car a month would crash through his fence before the NZTA straightened the road.

* Hawke's Bay's twisted road: Seven people dead in six months on the Napier Taupō Road

* Man killed in Hawke's Bay crash on Waiohiki Rd named

* Drivers advised to be cautious on highways in and out of Napier

The Napier Taupo Rd has seen seven deaths in six months

NZTA statistics showed that since 2018 there had been a total of 150 crashes - four of which caused seven deaths, 17 serious crashes, 47 minor and 82 non-injury.

Two of the fatal accidents happened at Te Pohue, about 42 kilometres north-west of Napier.

Murray King, a farmer who has lived in Te Pohue for 62 years estimated he'd assisted with about 20 crashes, including fatalities, since living in the area.

Toys left at a fatal crash scene on the Napier Taupō Rd

NZTA regional transport systems manager Oliver Postings said while it had an ongoing programme of maintenance and renewal works, there were no current plans for capital works on SH5.

'We continue to explore possible options to improve the highway in the future and remain open to feedback or ideas,' Postings said.

Jaz Smith caught this dangerous driving on State Highway 4 on her dash cam.

An NZTA road assessment report showed that about half of SH5 was a low to medium ''personal'' and ''collective risk'.

''Collective risk'' measured the total number of fatal and serious injury crashes per kilometre over a section of road, while ''personal risk'' was a measure of the danger to each individual using the state highway.

Hazlehurst said SH5 was the main connection to Hawke’s Bay from the north, carrying about 3000 vehicles a day, 15 per cent of which were heavy vehicles.

Napier Labour MP and police minister Stuart Nash says despite travelling State Highway 5 hundreds of times, it was still very challenging.

She understood that a business case to improve the route was included in the last Hawke's Bay Regional Land Transport Plan to start in 2020-21, but was not included for funding in the National Land Transport Programme.

“We are requesting the government’s urgent reconsideration of this decision, to ensure that the necessary improvements and management measures are in place as soon as possible to reduce the death and injury toll.”

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the regional mayors and chair of Hawke's Bay Regional Council had collectively written to relevant ministers to express concern that there had been 'no significant improvements to the road in recent years despite the number of deaths and accidents'.

Hawke's Bay National MP Lawrence Yule said seven deaths in six months was unacceptable and planned to write to the Minister of Transport.

'The NZTA needs to do a proper safety audit. At the end of the day if they could spend $12m installing median barriers on the expressway between Napier and Hastings, then say they're not going to spend any money on the Napier Taupō Rd when seven people died in six months? It's completely nuts.'

Yule said he drove the road about six times a year and, while the road had improved, there were still dangerous areas.

'It's not a straight road, it goes through valleys around corners and over ranges.'

Nash said there was no doubt the Napier Taupō Rd was a 'very challenging road', despite travelling it hundreds of times.

'The road becomes very unforgiving when drivers make mistakes. If a driver fails to stay in their own lane on a winding section, and they meet someone coming the other way, they are likely have a collision. When that happens, speed becomes the determining factor for injuries and possible fatalities,' Nash said.

'People have to drive to the conditions, especially if a road is challenging. They have to observe speed limits, they must wear their seat belts, they should not drive if they are impaired by alcohol or drugs, even prescription drugs.'

A tragic six months:

December 6, 2019: Nathaniel Olson, 40, and Mere Paranihi, 29, died at Te Pohue while travelling on a motorcycle.

December 23, 2019: Leo Thomas Chittenden from Napier and 11-year-old Te Whararere Hunuhunu of Opotiki. The pair were killed in a crash near Rangitaiki.

March 6, 2020: Aniwaniwa Kenrick, 21, of Hastings died in a collision between Kawaro Roadway and Turangakumu Rd at Te Haroto.

May 16, 2020: Maja Eve Sanders, 20, Joshua Tom Van Hooijdonk, 19, both from Hastings. The crash occurred at Te Pohue.