Road safety barriers on the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway are helping prevent serious injuries, NZTA says.
The barriers, which sit along the side of the road and in parts of the median strip, have been hit 48 times since this section of the expressway opened in December 2015.
“The flexible road safety barrier cables flex on impact slowing the vehicle down and pushing it back into its lane,” NZTA project delivery manager Peter Simcock says.
“We suspect many of these strikes on the safety barriers are caused by fatigue or inattention.”
The agency expects the number of barrier strikes to drop when it puts in rumble strips early next year, once contractors finish sealing the last part of the road.
Additionally, it says installing the flexible road safety barriers has a beneficial effect for motorcyclists by reducing rather than increasing casualties.
This is because motorcyclists are more likely to survive an impact with a safety barrier than a crash with roadside hazards such as trees, poles and oncoming vehicles.
