Mike and Helen Geddes told The Star they had narrowly avoided being hit by a heavy vehicle that failed to give way at the intersection of Main South Rd and Brighton Rd early this month.
Then, just a week later, they had another near miss with a car leaving the south-bound (Brighton) exit of State Highway 1.
"It was only Mike’s quick reactions both times that saved us from a smash," Mrs Geddes said.
The retired couple told The Star they had been speaking to friends and fellow residents since the scares and the consensus was that something needed to be done to improve road safety in the area.
Mr Geddes said he travelled through the intersections frequently and, no matter the time of day, there seemed to be "all sorts of confusion" among motorists.
"People are so busy trying to look everywhere and work out what they are doing — it’s easy to make a mistake," he said.
Mr Geddes said traffic had also increased markedly in the area in the past few years, due to the growth in the number of people living in the Mosgiel, Saddle Hill and greater Green Island areas.
For Mr and Mrs Geddes, the most logical solution would be to install roundabouts at the problematic intersections — where Main South Rd meets the south-bound motorway exit and the north-bound motorway on-ramp, and the intersection of Main South Rd and Brighton Rd (adjacent to St Peter Chanel School).
"We have been jumping up and down about it and people we have spoken to have all said the same thing — we need roundabouts," Mrs Geddes said.
DCC acting group manager transport Richard Saunders said staff had undertaken a safety assessment of the Main South Rd-Brighton Rd intersection and were reviewing the options available to improve safety there.
This intersection had been highlighted by the Saddle Hill Community Board as requiring work to improve safety for road users, he said.
In its submission to the DCC draft long-term plan 2015-16 to 2024-25, the Saddle Hill Community Board advocated for the intersections to become roundabouts.
It cited the growth in traffic volumes and frustration among the community.
"We would very much like to see these intersections improved without the need of seeing a serious accident happen before anything is done," the submission said.
The Greater Green Island Community Network has also raised the issue of road safety issues, and has held meetings with both the DCC and Otago Regional Council recently to discuss traffic, parking and buses in the area.
The GGICN is collating road safety responses from its recent wide-ranging community survey and planned to hold meetings with the Green Island Business Association and the public to gauge community wishes.
These will then be presented to the DCC and ORC.
Contacted by The Star, GGICN chairman Steve Hayward also felt roundabouts could be a good solution to the traffic issues.
At present, the intersections were not working particularly well and had been a problem for years, he said.
He felt "optimistic" a good solution could be found by working with the DCC and agencies.
New Zealand Transport Agency senior safety engineer Roy Johnston said both the intersections connecting the motorway to Green Island had been assessed and, while more complex than other intersections, generally operated satisfactorily.
"This is in part due to drivers generally taking a cautious approach at these intersections, understanding they require care, particularly at peak times," Mr Johnston said.
The NZTA continued to monitor the performance of the two intersections, he said.
Replacing these intersections with roundabouts had been discussed, particularly given the increase in traffic volumes in recent years.
However, the fact they were operating well most of the time meant such a change was not likely to occur in the near future, Mr Johnston said.
