Sue Davies at the Raynes Road and SH3 intersection.
Motorists using a black spot intersection in Waipā are now seeing reduced speed limit signs there.
Between 2011 and 2021 there were five serious injury crashes and one fatality at the intersection of State Highway 3 and Raynes Road, which is used by thousands of motorists a day.
In August 2021 Kaipaki resident Sue Davies told The News of her own experience – her car was written off after being hit by a vehicle coming out of Raynes Rd. She called on Waka Kotahi to take action and welcomed announcements made in May this year.
Waka Kotahi has now installed traffic detectors and they send a signal to the road sign which shows a lower speed limit.
Sue Davies’ blue Toyota Vitz RS after the crash.
The system is called an Intersection Speed Zone and it will be in place until a roundabout, a safety platform and improved cycling facilities are installed there
“The Intersection Speed Zones detect when a vehicle is turning into or out of a side road and temporarily reduces the legal speed limit on SH3 from 80km/h to 60km/h,” regional manager of Infrastructure Delivery for the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Jo Wilton said.
The signs were installed last week.
“People will be familiar with seeing Intersection Speed Zones around the region. The signs are installed at rural locations where there is a high risk of serious crashes involving people turning in or out of an intersection.
“Reducing speeds through an intersection means that crashes are less likely to happen because people will have more time to react to mistakes and avoid collisions.
“By slowing oncoming traffic down, Intersection Speed Zones also reduce the risk of someone being killed or seriously injured if a crash does happen. A small change in speed can make a big difference to the outcome of a crash. Even when speed doesn’t cause the crash, it’s what will most likely determine whether someone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed,” says Wilton.
Sue Davies at the Raynes Road and SH3 intersection.
