Four high-risk intersections have been identified by the Dunedin City Council's transportation planning department as areas of concern to be targeted for potential road safety improvements.
The traffic-light controlled intersection of Princes St and Rattray St at the Exchange is the worst in Dunedin for fatal and serious-injury accidents, as highlighted by crash analysis statistics collected by the New Zealand Transport Agency.
The intersection averages one fatal or serious road crash a year, with the problematic exchange also contributing to a high incidence of accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, NZTA statistics note.
DCC transportation planning manager Sarah Connolly said the South Dunedin intersection at Cargills Corner, where Hillside Rd and King Edward St cross, was also an area of high concern for road-safety planners.
Council planning staff were formulating safer strategies for the intersections of North Rd and Opoho Rd and the central city's five-way crossing where Pitt St, London St and Frederick St meet George St, she said.
While she was unable to specify the details to be included in a report, which is being prepared for councillors, investigations were under way to address the high-risk areas as part of a four-to-six-year proposal, she said.
Other intersections on local roads were also problematic.
DCC senior traffic engineer Ron Minnema said some safety initiative options, which the council might consider for the high-risk areas, were already in place at other sites in Dunedin.
The troublesome intersections might be improved by installing additional "gantry lights", such as those that overhang Stuart St and London St and protrude above road lanes, he said.
Better "phasing" of the pedestrian crossing signals at the four identified inters ections might also provide for a safer environment for road users, as would speed-limit reductions, he said.
Dunedin is ranked the third-worst local authority area in New Zealand for fatal and serious injury crashes, statistics in the NZTA's "communities at risk" register show.
The NZTA has compiled lists ranking local authorities across 12 categories, although there is some contention about the methodology used to record the statistics.
Dunedin City is ranked at the top of the list for urban intersection crashes causing either fatal or serious injuries during the five years from 2006 to 2010.
The city featured in the top five for the crash categories involving pedestrians (second), motorcycles (third), older drivers (third), cyclists (fourth) and young drivers (fourth), and ranked sixth for accidents caused by distracted drivers.
Ms Connolly said Dunedin's statistical ranking should be "taken with a pinch of salt", although the NZTA's register was an important tool for helping the council identify and address areas of concern.
However, improving safety at urban intersections with the aim of decreasing the number of fatal and serious crashes would also flow on to other "vulnerable road-users".
Pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists and both younger and older drivers were all classified as "vulnerable road-users" and a recent DCC advertising campaign aimed to increase awareness about this, she said.
NZTA "briefing notes", which accompanied the Otago region crash analysis records for urban intersections, noted the most common crash type involved two vehicles colliding at right angles.
The second-most common was when a driver turned right and was hit by a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction on the same road.
In terms of who was at fault, drivers younger than 25 accounted for 37% of accidents in urban intersection injury crashes in Otago during 2006-10.
Urban intersection accident comparisons
Local road (DCC) intersection crashes v State Highway (NZTA) intersection crashes, 2006-10.-
• 886 crashes, 5 deaths, 189 serious injuries and 1056 minor injuries/341 crashes, 2 deaths, 50 serious injuries and 426 minor injuries
• 24% on wet roads/20% on wet roads
• 28% night-time/23% night-time
