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Let there be light.
The new sets of traffic lights installed at Remarkables Park have come to red, amber and green life this week.
The lights on Hawthorne Dr, at the intersection of Red Oaks Dr and Cherry Blossom Ave, have been kept under wraps - specifically black plastic wrapping - since they were erected several weeks ago.
Queenstown ratepayers and Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency each paid slightly under half of the $1.8 million to install them.
Queenstown Lakes District Council communications adviser Sam White said the balance was contributed by Remarkables Park Ltd.
The project has also been subsidised by Waka Kotahi through its national ‘Road to Zero’ campaign to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand’s roads.
The lights will be synced into the Wellington transport operation centre’s national management grid.
They have been installed at a key intersection where there has been significant development in recent years, including commercial offices and hotels and Wakatipu High School.
‘‘This location ranked highly in terms of the potential for death and serious injury, hence its inclusion in the current three-year delivery cycle for traffic calming measures,’’ Mr White said.
‘‘We [council] have undertaken this work proactively based on the increased volume of traffic along Hawthorne Dr coupled with the expected additional volume from further development in this area… from perpendicular feeder roads.
‘‘Not only will they increase the efficiency of traffic flow, they will also significantly increase safety at these locations.’’
Additionally, roading at the intersections will be installed with raised safety platforms, essentially low-lying speed humps, designed to reduce driver speeds on approach.
They will be put in after winter and should be finished by October, Mr White said.
