Puhoi residents petition to prevent crashes

November 11, 2016

Puhoi residents petition to prevent crashes

Locals are worried someone will be killed at the intersection of Puhoi Rd and State Highway 1 unless the speed limit is reduced. Photo: Supplied / Sarah Churchouse

Rodney locals are campaigning for the speed limit to be lowered at the corner of Puhoi Rd and State Highway 1 before another serious crash occurs.

A petition to reduce the speed limit from 100km/h to 80km/h has gathered 283 signatures since it was started by businesswoman Sarah Churchouse less than a week ago.

Ms Churchouse uses the intersection “at least twice a day” when commuting between her Puhoi home and Silverdale dog grooming business. She started the petition, addressed to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), last week, after she witnessed two recent “near-misses”.

One incident, which was particularly concerning, involved an elderly driver almost hitting an oncoming truck, which was carrying a shipping container.

“The truck didn’t even have time to brake, because by the time they’d pulled out he wouldn’t have had a chance.

“Luckily they just squeezed through by the skin of their teeth.”

Six major crashes have occurred near the intersection in the last five years. Two people had been seriously hurt and another six received minor injuries, NZTA said.

Ms Churchouse believed it was only a matter of time before there was a fatality: “It’s definitely going to happen sooner rather than later.”

Beth Houlbrooke, who has lived in nearby Warkworth for 23 years and is a ward representative for Rodney, told Te Waha Nui many locals were concerned the number of crashes would grow as Puhoi’s population increased.

An average 20,000 vehicles travelled through the intersection every day.

Other consequences of crashes at the site were the unnecessary delays and disruptions they caused, she said.

“Any kind of accident on that road closes State Highway 1 and absolutely cripples everything. It can be closed for hours at a time while they clean up the road, and the only other alternative is to take a very long detour that can add one hour 40 minutes to the trip between Auckland and Warkworth.”

Brett Gliddon, NZTA’s Northland highway manager said in an email the agency was looking at installing a new Rural Intersection Activated Warning Sign (RIAWS) at the intersection.

“The RIAWS activates when there is traffic turning at the intersection. At all other times the underlying 100km/hr speed limit remains.

“The sign works by displaying a reduced speed limit when a vehicle is approaching from the side road. Studies have shown this reduces the risk of and severity of crashes involving turning traffic.”

The agency would collect information on traffic speeds in the area over the next few weeks and make a decision about the RIAWS, Mr Gliddon said.

Ms Houlbrooke said while the RIAWS was “a good idea”, the consultation process would take time, meaning the speed limit would remain a pressing issue in the meantime.

“I think a simple 80km/h sign just extending out that area in the interim would be a really good start.”

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