NZTA called on to look 'properly' at highway

Quail Rise residents have welcomed a move to potentially lower the speed limit along a section of State Highway 6, but say the NZ Transport Agency needs to look at issues along the highway holistically.

On Monday the agency announced it was looking to reduce the speed from 100kmh to 80kmh along a 2.3km section of the highway, from the Stalker Rd roundabout to Hardware Lane, formerly Glenda Dr, including the intersection with Tucker Beach Rd.

Yesterday, Kerry Dunlop and Terri Anderson, who have both petitioned for action from the highways manager, said they were pleased the agency was engaging with the community, but they believed a long-term solution was still needed.

Last month Mr Dunlop initiated a petition seeking a reduction in speed the limit and asking that an underpass linking to State Highway 6, with a merging lane for traffic heading west to Queenstown, be investigated.

''That, in the long term, would be the most satisfactory.''

The petition garnered 400 signatures in a week from residents of Quail Rise, Tucker Beach and cyclists.

''It [NZTA's announcement] is a welcome move, but there's more to making that intersection safe than simply reducing the speed limit,'' Mr Dunlop said.

Ms Anderson agreed and said while it was ''great'' the agency was starting to engage with the community, the volume of traffic meant reducing the speed would not solve the issues.

''It's a good gesture and it's a good start, but they really need to look at it properly and think about longer-term safety for the whole stretch of road.

''The volume of traffic is only going to increase. We know what's going on and we need to work together to make it safer. I'm looking forward to them looking at it properly, holistically, for the longer term.''

At present, the speed limit varies between 100kmh and 80kmh three times between the turn-off to the Crown Range Rd and Hardware Lane, a distance of about 10km.

Feedback on the proposal closes on March 28.