Waikato has a wide variety of roads, many of which are unforgiving and leave no room for error - last year 68 people died on them, the highest regional road toll in the country. With speed a factor in 25 per cent of all Waikato crashes where people were killed or seriously injured, helping prevent death and serious injury on the region’s roads is the focus of the project through 2016. The longer term aim is a framework which sees speed managed in a way which is regionally consistent, more effective and makes sense to the travelling public.
Formal support has been received from Waipa, Waikato and Matamata-Piako district councils to engage with communities around speed on selected roads in six locations, with the project continuing to work with other councils.
A range of criteria was used to select the roads, including the history of deaths, serious injuries and crashes on them. The selected roads represent a range of environments and circumstances, reflecting the diversity of roads in the Waikato region. In support, a new tool has assessed these roads as ones where there could be safety gains through changing how speed is managed, and suggested a safe and appropriate speed for these locations.
During engagement communities are being invited to share their views via an online survey, attend drop-in sessions and take part in a Waikato District Health Board led Health Impact Assessment. The engagement will help councils decide whether to formally consult on any proposed change to speed limits. If supported, some of the things which may be done to manage speed include road markings, signage, education, changes to speed limits and road safety campaigns.
The experience of the demonstration sites will help in the rollout across the Waikato of a more joined up and consistent approach to how speed is managed on the region’s roads.