Road users are being invited to have their say on safety measures between Mosgiel and Balclutha.
The NZ Transport Agency will be at the Otago Taieri A&P Show on Saturday, January 27 to talk about possible improvements on State Highway 1 and get feedback from people familiar with the area.
NZTA attended the South Otago and Tokomairiro A&P Shows last year and received valuable information from locals.
It’s all part of a $600 million road and roadsides safety programme to reduce deaths and serious injuries on rural highways.
Transport Agency system manager Graeme Hall says residents gave “personal insights, such as the impact of wind on journeys along the route, and lack of visibility at intersections”.
“This first-hand knowledge will help us develop the most appropriate safety solutions for this stretch of road,” he says.
In the 10 years to the end of 2015, 12 people died and 66 were seriously injured on the route.
Many of the crashes happened when drivers ran off the road and hit trees or power poles.
There were also a number of head-on crashes.
“We want to make changes to the road so that simple mistakes don’t cost lives.
“We are considering adding safety barriers to catch vehicles if they leave their lane and widening the road shoulder where possible to give drivers room to recover if they lose control,” Hall says.
