$2m To Improve Safety Of Otago And Southland Tourist Routes
About $2 million will be spent on Otago and Southland roads to keep key tourist routes safer this summer, Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay says.
The funding, announced today by Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss, is part of the Visiting Drivers Project’s $15 million road safety engineering programme.
“Otago and Southland will each see about $1 million spent on road safety works including no-passing lines, ‘keep left’ arrows, sign upgrades, and new safety barriers,” Mr Barclay says.
Clutha- Southland MP Todd Barclay. Photo: supplied
“These safety works will be carried out in areas on key tourist routes, selected after extensive research and analysis that shows where people are crashing and why.”
Tackling the issue of driver safety has been a focus for the Government and something Mr Barclay has lobbied for since becoming an MP.
“This funding boost, while by no means a silver bullet, is another step in the right direction to improving safety for all road users,” Mr Barclay says.
“Nobody embarks on their holiday in Clutha-Southland with the intention of getting into an accident and putting lives in danger, so this is another great initiative to help enhance safety for all road users.”
Today’s announcement comes on top of a range of other roading initiatives in Otago and Southland commenced or completed recently, including:
- 154 new curve signs installed on SH6 from Lumberbox Creek near Queenstown to Kingston
- 26 new curve signs installed on SH94, along with a safety barrier at Rocky Point near Mossburn
- Signage at 22 rest areas upgraded to give drivers more advance warning in Southland and Otago
- 175 kilometres of centre-line ‘rumble strips’
- 2200 kilometres of highway marked with ‘keep left’ arrows
- 140 kilometres of ‘no-passing’ markings
- 15 traffic courtesy signs to encourage slower drivers to let traffic pass
The Government is also running a major road safety campaign in Otago and Southland this summer holiday season.
The Visiting Drivers Education Campaign uses billboards, posters, digital advertising and social media to spread road safety messages.