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A primary school teacher who led a campaign to get safety improvements at the turn off to Aoraki Mount Cook is “delighted” authorities are finally taking action.
“Locals all talk about their near misses [there],” Sandy Nelson said, of the intersection of State Highway 8 and 80, in the Mackenzie District.
Nelson, who lives at Aoraki Mount Cook Village and teaches at Twizel, travels the road regularly.
“One of the main issues is tourists coming off the Mount Cook Rd ... they hit that T intersection onto a main highway really fast.
“They come around the corner and there it is,” Nelson said.
It’s been almost a decade since Nelson went public with her concerns about the intersection and called for a compulsory stop sign to be installed.
At the time, she received widespread support from other concerned residents who also reported “close calls” at the turn-off.
On April 14, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced a proposal to make improvements to three stretches of road across South Canterbury.
The changes would see a reduction in the speed limit south of Glenavy from 100kph to 80kph, and the introduction of variable speed technology to manage travel speeds at the SH8 and 80 intersection and in front of the Hakatere Marae, near Ashburton.
Nelson said the intersection had become increasingly dangerous since she had been advocating for safety improvements there.
When she moved to Aoraki Mount Cook village 20 years ago, she said there were far fewer road users than today.
“In the last ... ten years, it’s become incredibly busy, just with the growth in the town, but also with tourists.”
She said the junction had become a major “danger spot” recognised by locals.
“[They] know to always approach that intersection slowly and with vigilance,” she said.
In 2017, her advocacy for road safety resulted in 1200 signature petition to replace a give way sign at the intersection with a stop sign, however it never happened.
“The local fire brigade got behind me, the council got behind me ... it is something people, you know, feel strongly about.”
She said she was “delighted” with NZTA’s announcement, particularly given winter conditions and increased congestion across the district.
“You’ve got winter roads and you’ve got increased traffic volumes, not a single passing bay anywhere ... I am absolutely delighted,” she said.
“They’re recognising it as a high risk area and they’ve listened to public voice ... so kudos to them.”
An NZTA spokesperson said the proposed speed limit reduction, which would use variable speed technology, was driven by safety concerns at the intersection.
“Drivers are regularly misjudging the speed of oncoming traffic when turning out of SH80,” they said.
The speed change was expected to increase driving time by one second, and reduce the crash rate by 53%.
Other safety initiatives such as a roundabout were also being considered for the intersection long-term.
Road safety remained a topic of discussion for the Mackenzie District Council, with mayor Scott Aronsen criticising NZTA’s installation of safety cameras along State Highway 8 in May.
Aronsen said the two sets of cameras were a “revenue gathering exercise”, and said there were a number of better ways to improve safety.
At the time, an NZTA spokesperson said the cameras had been proven to reduce speeds in an area where motorists were speeding.
“We place safety cameras at locations where evidence shows people have been, or are more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash.
“We surveyed speeds on this SH8 Tekapo to Twizel route and found that only 81% of vehicles were keeping to the speed limit,” NZTA head of regulation Chris Rodley said.
This came shortly after Aronsen met with the Chinese consul in early April, where road safety was among the issues discussed.
The consul raised concerns that Chinese tourists were accustomed to different driving conditions, prompting discussions about road safety education campaigns and further meetings.
Feedback to NZTA’s latest proposed changes closes on August 25.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air