Traffic lights at crossing wanted

Residents in Oamaru's north end, fed up with almost daily mishaps at a pedestrian crossing there, are taking their safety concerns to the Government.

A petition asking for traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing near the intersection of State Highway 1 and Frome St was sent yesterday to Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee.

Organiser Lorraine Adams said the petition, which was made available for people to sign in North End shops and gained 1300 signatures in just four weeks, appeared to show many residents wanted safety improved.

''There has been a lot of support for it; it's been brilliant. Most people's comments were that something has to change out there.''

In the past five years there have been more than 20 crashes up to 30m either side of the crossing, including nine rear-end collisions when cars have stopped for pedestrians. Although nearby business owners said they constantly witnessed close calls involving vehicles stopping suddenly at the crossing, Ms Adams said the issue was not just about the crossing, which was near two schools. The petition also aimed to make the general area safer for everyone, including cyclists, motorists and pedestrians, she said.

A copy of the petition had also been sent to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), which is in the process of assessing what could be done to make the crossing safer.

NZTA Otago-Southland state highway manager Ian Duncan said an investigation report was due to be completed ''within a couple of months''.

''The existing crossing at this intersection has been an ongoing problem for us and we have received feedback on it. The NZ Transport Agency is currently investigating how we can improve safety at this site, a task complicated by the fact the adjacent intersections are considered to be high-risk and need to be part of any improvements we make. Our investigation is to identify the actual risk so an appropriate safety solution can be developed to address the intersections and crossing point.

''It could be that traffic lights are the way to improve safety at this site, either in the form of a signalised pedestrian crossing or as a signalised intersection. However, until we have the results of our investigation and carefully consider these, we cannot make that call,'' Mr Duncan said.

andrew.ashton@odt.co.nz

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