NZTA moves to improve 'scary' stretch of State Highway 6
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
A stretch of highway across the top of the south prone to serious car crashes has seen both residents and the transport agency push for change.
The road from Blenheim to Nelson, which crosses diverse landscape with a combination of flat, rolling and winding terrain, has claimed 12 lives in 10 years.
A further 49 people have been seriously injured in crashes over the past decade on the route popular with tourists and freight.
The 115-kilometre road is set for an upgrade as part of a national $600 million roading programme, and residents have been invited to have their say on the highway.
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The NZ Transport Agency will hold community meetings in Nelson, Blenheim, Havelock and Rai Valley in the next two weeks to discuss ways to improve road safety.
Yankiwi Retreat owner Lesley Commette lives beside the highway, 2km south of Havelock.
The accommodation provider said the road was 'scary' as drivers stuck to 100kmh and made it difficult to enter or exit her property.
'I think people constantly try to do 100kmh. I just pull over to let them pass me,' she said.
'100kmh is very fast and sometimes you have big, old trucks coming up on you. It's scary.
'I can see why crashes happen.'
The section of State Highway 6 from Okaramio to Havelock was the most dangerous stretch of road, claiming five lives in the past 10 years.
Improving road safety was simple, according to Commette, who advocated for lower speed limits and the construction of a walking path.
'I'm not very impressed because there is no walking path. You have to walk on the side of the road, which is dangerous,' she said.
Transport Agency director regional relationships Jim Harland accepted the route had seen a large number of crashes and said something had to change.
Twelve deaths over the past decade was unacceptable and making the road safer was a priority, Harland said.
'By making improvements to the roads and roadsides, we will help the people who live and work in the area as well as others who rely on it for wider business or travel purposes,' he said.
'Members of the local community know the road better than anyone. We would like them to tell us how they use the route, what they think could be improved, and help us find solutions that will work best for everyone.'
Meeting with the community would allow the transport agency to receive ideas and input from people on the ground, Harland said.
Their feedback would be taken into consideration when making infrastructural decisions, Harland added.
'Safety improvements will make State Highway 6 and its roadside more forgiving of human error, reduce the risk of crashes happening and limit their severity when they do,' he said.
The project was funded as part of the Safe Roads and Roadsides Programme, which aimed to reduce deaths and serious injuries to people on high-risk rural highways.
The first Marlborough community meeting would be held in Blenheim at the Marlborough Community Centre, Alfred St, on August 9 from 2pm.
This would be followed on August 10 with meetings at the Havelock Town Hall and August Mount Richmond Estate, in Rai Valley, from 9am.
The Nelson community meetings would be held on August 7 and 8 at Founders Heritage Park.
For more information on the planned upgrade to State Highway 6, visit the agency website.