Canterbury mum Rebecca Dirk is relieved to see safety upgrades made to a rural intersection where her son was involved in a crash.
Dirk said as a Methven local her 17-year-old son David had been aware of the risks at the well-known ‘‘danger spot’’.
The intersection of State Highway 77 and Thompsons Track has been the location of several crashes and near misses.
Her son’s tentative approach had saved his life, as the other vehicle drove straight out into his path, she said.
“It’s lucky he saw them coming and hit the brakes, or it could have been much worse.’’
The intersection has been undergoing a safety upgrade, following a request by the Ashburton District Council earlier in the year to the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, after a spate of incidents.
Ashburton deputy mayor and Methven resident, Liz McMillan, had “never been so glad to see a road cone in my life” when NZTA contractors started the safety upgrade.
McMillan said the black spot for crashes and near misses had seen a spike in incidents this year.
The give way on the western side of Thompsons Track has become a stop sign.
Concrete splitter islands on both sides of the intersection were constructed, providing gated stop signage on both sides and gated advanced warning stop signage.
The work was expected to be completed by the end of last week.
LDR is local body journalism cofunded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
