Old road markings confuse drivers

Old road markings are confusing some motorists around Dunedin following a lot of recent lane re...
Old road markings are confusing some motorists around Dunedin following a lot of recent lane re-alignments. Photo by Dan Hutchinson.
Safety improvements, cycle-lane widening and road realignments on busy Dunedin roads are causing a new kind of confusion for some motorists: which lane markings are the right ones?

Callers to The Star identified one particular trouble spot on the southbound state highway near Jetty St, where motorists are confronted by an array of old and new road markings in wet conditions or late afternoon sun.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) senior road safety engineer Roy Johnston was aware of issues in some conditions but said there was little NZTA could do until it was re-sealed.

The agency had used ''various measures'' to more clearly define the traffic lanes, including installing reflective road markings and re-sealing was scheduled to take place in about six months.

''We would ask people to take care on this section of highway and be considerate of other road users until resealing and new road markings are put in place,'' he said.

The agency had not noticed any increase in crashes on the sections of the state highway through Dunedin where road-marking had been changed.

Another trouble spot was in Andersons Bay Rd between Hillside Rd and Macandrew Rd where lanes had been changed to cater for the recently opened Countdown Supermarket.

Dunedin City Council roading project engineer Evan Matheson said that section of road would be re-sealed in January or February.

Senior traffic engineer Ron Minnema said old markings were sand-blasted or painted over but could still show through.

 

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