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July 2018

 

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Members of the community check out safety options with the project team.

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Community input helps shape safety options

More than 250 people attended community open days in late 2017 to share their views on our proposed improvements for SH3 between Waitara and Bell Block. These options were developed following our initial open days for this project in early 2017.

"We explained a range of possible safety solutions and gathered feedback from the community. Hearing from the community helps us better understand the local road safety issues and is a key part of our decision-making," says Parekawhia McLean, Director of Regional Relationships.  

The proposed package of safety improvements that enables growth includes:

  • roundabouts at high-risk intersections providing safe and efficient access to and from the state highway
  • change some intersections so there is no right turn in or out of roads off the highway
  • a consistent speed limit for this stretch of road
  • widen the road and road shoulder so drivers have room to recover if they make a mistake
  • install flexible road safety barriers along the side of the road in places where the risk of a crash is high
  • install flexible median barriers and widen the centreline so there’s either separation or more space between vehicles travelling in opposite directions
  • install rumble strips on the side and centre of the road to alert drivers who stray out of their lane
  • remove passing lanes but add slow vehicle lanes on roundabout exits to allow vehicles to pass slower traffic more efrficiently
  • safer intersections with better signs, road markings and traffic islands.

Key themes emerging from the community engagement were:

  • support for proposed roundabouts
  • concern for the safety of children crossing SH3 at Princess Street
  • opposition to banning right-hand turns – in particular at Nelson Street
  • while people understood existing passing lanes caused some problems, they still wanted an opportunity to pass slow moving vehicles (trucks & tractors) on the road
  • support for a more consistent speed limit on the route
  • community support for the project
  • support for introducing median barriers between Airport Drive and SH3A (those who mentioned it were supportive)
  • more needs to be done for Bell Block.

Read the full engagement report here.


Next steps

We have incorporated community feedback and are now working with the New Plymouth District Council as we progress towards Transport Agency of what will be our recommended approach. Following our decision, we will first update our most affected neighbours and then the broader community.

If funding is approved, we will move to the detailed design stage which includes obtaining the necessary statutory consents before construction can begin.

 

 

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More information

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For more information on the SH3 Waitara to Bell Block project, contact us at w2bb@nzta.govt.nz

Visit our website www.nzta.govt.nz/w2bb

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