A "home-made" approach to road safety in one Mosgiel street is putting people at risk, a local representative says.
Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairwoman Rebecca Shepherd said while she understood the sentiment behind the ‘‘do-it-yourself’’ pedestrian crossings and road markings appearing on Murray St in recent weeks, safety interventions were best left to the experts.
‘‘People drawing their own pedestrian crossings on the road is unsafe at the end of the day,’’ Mrs Shepherd said.
‘‘We certainly can’t have people creating their own, but I think it’s coming from a place of frustration.’’
It related to enforcement of speed limits, so police had been notified of the situation, and the markings were likely to constitute a prosecutable offence, she said.
When the Otago Daily Times visited the street yesterday, ‘‘slow down’’ was painted across its width in metre-high block letters, as was what appeared to be a painted reproduction of speed hump.
Mrs Shepherd said for a long time, people had driven too fast along the residential road and it was ‘‘an accident waiting to happen, unfortunately’’.
However, traffic-calming measures such as speed humps would likely be a better option to reduce speeds in Murray St, rather than pedestrian crossings or the ‘‘home-made’’ approach, she said.
She encouraged affected residents to contact the council or speak to the community board with their concerns or suggestions.
Ms Benson said the council had no plans for work in the street, but asked anyone responsible for the markings to stop — they should instead contact the council if they had road safety concerns to raise.
‘‘Installing markings on the road without proper safety precautions is inherently dangerous and can lead to confusion for road users, creating safety risks for pedestrians — especially smaller children.
‘‘The unauthorised markings also damage council assets and leads to removal costs being incurred by the council, which are ultimately borne by all ratepayers,’’ Ms Benson said.
Two unofficial crossings had been added, and removed, on Murray St since March 23.
The newest markings would also be removed, Ms Benson said.
