Flyover would have prevented fatalities, says AA

4.20pm

UPDATE - The Automobile Association says the deaths of three people north of Porirua yesterday could have been avoided if decent funding had been available when the highway was upgraded recently.

Yesterday afternoon three elderly people died after being hit by a truck as their stationwagon crossed two lanes of northbound traffic on State Highway One while leaving a funeral at Whenua Tapu Cemetery, just north of Porirua.

Traffic going south from the cemetery has to cross two lanes of northbound traffic travelling 100km/h in order to reach southbound lanes.

Automobile Association motor policy manager Jane Gale said when extensive work was done on the section of motorway in recent years she had been surprised to discover no flyover for southbound traffic had been provided.

"It's dangerous, they're going 100km/h and its very little gap in time to get across there and you have to cross two lanes of traffic...

"Who is to know what the calculations were but three people dead does seem like it would have been worth it, doesn't it?"

She said the problem was funding, rather than poor planning, by Transit New Zealand.

"I think its underfunding, because they have to have such a high benefit-cost ratio before they get any funding it means they have to cut corners and this is what they do.

"If you funded it to the proper level I'm sure they would have designed it to a suitable standard but what they are trying to do is take half measures and that's to fit it within the available dollars."

Ms Gale said the Government was increasing funding from next year but she was worried money would go on politically correct projects such as increasing public transport rather than improving the quality of roads.

"If you think about this kind of thing that is what we are trying to say; we need to have a better quality of roads so people don't die unnecessarily."

Police have released the names of three elderly people.

They were the driver of the car, Arthur Gandy, 85, of Papakowhai near Porirua, his wife Violet May Gandy, 80, and Kenneth Alwyn Jones, 73, of Camborne, also near Porirua.

Mr and Mrs Gandy died at the scene when their Ford Sierra stationwagon was hit by a truck travelling north as they tried to cross the northbound lanes to drive south.

Mr Jones died later at Wellington Hospital.

The three had attended a funeral at the Whenua Tapu Cemetery.

The truck driver was also taken to Wellington Hospital with a leg injury.

- NZPA