A former Western Bay of Plenty District Councillor is becoming increasingly concerned with median barriers which will be installed between Waihī and Ōmokoroa.

Mike Williams says his trips will be about “six minutes longer” every day after the safety barriers are installed, as he can no longer turn across State Highway 2 to his home on Work Road.

The median barriers, which are designed to prevent serious head on crashes, will also cause further safety issues in the area, according to Mike.

“The barrier ends a couple of hundred metres before the [Wainui River Bridge]. That’s about 300 or 400 metres past Work Road. If someone decides to do a U-turn there, it will save them about 8km of travel, which to me is very dangerous in itself.”

“If NZTA continues with this road to zero project, they will carry on focusing only on road deaths, without giving a damn about anything else.”

Mike regularly makes trips up to Katikati where he does his shopping, he turns left to do so at the end of Work Road.

“On the way back, after these barriers are installed, I’m going to have to travel all the way down to Apata Station Road to go around a roundabout to come back. That’s about 8km more every trip.

“It’s only a 12km trip into Katikati, so these barriers would make it a 20km trip coming back.”

The distance between the Work Road turn-off and the nearest roundabout. Image: Google Maps.

Mike says he feels Waka Kotahi doesn’t care about people like himself who live on the “side roads” to main highways.

“This will impact all the side roads between Ōmokoroa and Katikati which don’t have roundabouts, which is a hell of a lot.”

“Using the latest Western Bay of Plenty District Council numbers I could find, there are about 640 odd vehicle movements on Work Road every day.

“If half went to Katikati and had to come back home, that’s about 320 odd vehicles doing an extra 8km every day, which on an annual basis will add up to a huge amount.”

Mike says he had been to NZTA to discuss the median barriers but felt their decision “had already been made”.

On building a gap in the barrier for side streets, Waka Kotahi regional manager of maintenance and operations Rob Campbell says to achieve the greatest safety benefit for the flexible median safety barriers, there needs to be “as few gaps as possible”.

The Work Road turn-off. Photo: Google Maps.

“Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency believes every death and serious injury is one too many.

“Every gap means people crossing the state highway, which presents a risk.”

“Between 2009 and 2018 when this project began, 24 people died and 65 were seriously injured on this stretch of SH2. The analysis of these SH2 crashes shows most were caused by running off the road, head-on collisions, and intersection crashes. 

“Waka Kotahi shares the vision where no one is killed or seriously injured on our roads. To achieve this, we must put the safety of people first, before efficiency and travel time.

“This does mean those entering the highway from a private access or side road may only be able to turn left, unless a safe turnaround area has been provided.

“Spacing between the roundabouts, is planned for every 1.9km to 3.8km and will make turning right much safer for those who live along SH2. While these changes will require some patience and understanding, it makes the road safer for everyone.

“We have discussed the plans with those living along the corridor to find out how they use this section of road and enable us to make the best decision regarding placement.

 “Installing centre median barriers prevents drivers from crossing the centreline and colliding with another vehicle. They’re a life-saving and cost-effective piece of infrastructure that can reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in crashes by 75 per cent.

“Significant investigation, assessment and review has been carried out to determine which of 23 side roads are best suited for upgrades, with key considerations being availability of land, terrain, environmental impacts, crash rates, traffic volumes, and spacing between turnaround points.

“Eight intersections were identified as being able to accommodate a roundabout and consultation on these options was carried out in 2021. Six roundabouts are confirmed and will provide safe turnaround points once flexible median barrier is installed.”

For emergency services needing to make a quick turn into a side street, Rob says when a flexible median barrier is installed, there will be a “minimum 6.25 metre space” between the guardrail at the edge of the road and the barrier in the centre, allowing room for emergency services to get past in an emergency.

 “Emergency services would expect motorists to adopt common courtesy, ensuring they slow down and move their vehicle as far to the side of the road as safely possible. In the event of a crash, flexible safety barriers can also be pulled out of the road quickly and easily to allow access for emergency service vehicles and clean-up operations.

 “The design solutions and improvements included in this project are about keeping people safe. While we appreciate convenience and travel time are important to people as they move about, the work we are doing is proven to save lives and reduce the risk of crashes.

“The SH2 Waihī to Ōmokoroa feasibility design report is available to view on our website.

“The inclusion of flexible median barrier is a safety enhancement to the current widening works and has undergone several stages of public and stakeholder consultation (including emergency services), you can read a summary of this here.

“We listened to a range of views expressed during the consultation process, which included concerns about the extra travel time perceived as a result of installing median barriers and roundabouts. All feedback is important to us and helped inform the shape the designs and next steps for this section of SH2.

“We held open days in May 2023 to share the draft detailed design for these improvements, this process included an independent safety audit.”