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Concern safety measures on dangerous Moeraki road 'not enough'

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Mon, 26 Jun 2017, 6:26PM
A high-tech speed limit warning system's been installed at the intersection of State Highway One and Moeraki Boulders Road. (Getty)
A high-tech speed limit warning system's been installed at the intersection of State Highway One and Moeraki Boulders Road. (Getty)

Concern safety measures on dangerous Moeraki road 'not enough'

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff,
Publish Date
Mon, 26 Jun 2017, 6:26PM

There is concern over whether a new high tech warning system and lower speed limit are enough to save lives at a South Island black spot.

The Government has installed a high-tech speed warning system at the turn off to Moeraki Boulders from State Highway 1.

From 2005 to 2016 there were 21 deaths and more than 100 serious crashes on the stretch of road between Dunedin and Oamaru.

One of the dead is five-year-old Ruby Marris - whose father says it's not enough to pinpoint just one intersection. Ruby died in a head on collision with a car being driven by a tourist who was heading for the township.

"Tourists do get confused about what turn-off it is, whether it's a cafe, the Moeraki boulders - they're in and out of there like yo-yos," Travis Marris said.

NZTA's Southern Business Unit manager, Ian Duncan said making it safer will take time.

"We would expect by this summer we'd start to see the next round of implementation along this corridor around Hampton and Moeraki."

Duncan said funding means they need to prioritise.

"We've just ended up with a bigger block of funding now around rural sections of highway to actually come and look at corridors," he said.

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