Intersections targeted for safety

Risky intersections in Dunedin and Southland are being targeted for safety improvements to reduce death and injury on roads, Associate Transport Minister Michael Woodhouse announced yesterday.

Mr Woodhouse said New Zealand's 100 worst intersections were identified by the New Zealand Transport Agency and local authorities by analysing crash figures between 2003 and 2012.

The crash figures included 53 deaths and 445 serious injuries.

Among the 100 worst intersections were five in Dunedin and one in Southland.

Of these, Hillside Rd and King Edward St in Dunedin had had a fatal crash. The intersection of State Highway 1 and Great King St in Dunedin was ranked 28th, the city's worst, with 27 crashes and 42 casualties.

The measures to improve safety would be different for each intersection, Mr Woodhouse said.

''In some locations, the most effective steps to reduce crash risk may be better managing traffic flows or speeds, while for others the best solution will be improved signage or physical changes to the road layout and, for some, the answer may be a mix of all of these things.''

Safety improvements had been made on 22 of the intersections while the list was in draft form, and planning for, or investigation of, improvements had been made for the remaining 78, he said.

The intersection list would be a permanent initiative and be updated periodically with the improvements monitored.

Mr Woodhouse said the work was part of the Government's broader Safer Journeys strategy, which aimed to significantly reduce deaths and serious injuries from road crashes by 2020.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

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