This stretch of No 3 Line in Okoia has been under a temporary speed limit at various times since 2019, with police saying people are getting complacent about the speed limit. Photo / Finn Williams
A stretch of No. 3 Line in Okoia, near Whanganui which has been under temporary speed limits since 2019 is not scheduled for repairs until summer due to groundwater issues.
Whanganui District Council transportation manager Damien Wood said the site near the Gordon Park Scenic Reserve was under a temporary 30km/h speed limit due to bitumen flushing.
This occurs when the bitumen binder rises to the top of the sealed surface, making it slippery.
The current speed limit has been in place this year but the site has had other temporary measures applied at various times since 2019.
Various repairs to the road have also been carried out since 2019 but the bitumen flushing has continued to occur due to groundwater issues.
On June 1 a small truck travelling from Palmerston North slid off a loose patch of road and rolled.
While responding to the incident, Whanganui police Sergeant Colin Wright said locals in the area told him about their concerns with the road and with how long the signs had been in place.
Police had to talk to multiple motorists who’d ignored the speed limit, and Wright said he would take his concerns to the council.
Wood said the speed management measures would be reviewed to make sure vehicles were travelling through the site at a safe speed.
“Road users are reminded that temporary speed limits are set to ensure the safe use of the road and should be followed at all times.”
Okoia resident Natasha Edmonds said the day before the truck incident she’d spoken to her daughter-in-law about making sure to stay safe after having similar issues.
“I noticed I kind of slid a little bit when I went around the corner where the accident actually happened.”
“I just said to her just make sure you go slow when you go around those corners because you kind of don’t realise,” she said.
She said until then it had been confusing as to why the speed limit was in place on the road but driving over it in the wet had revealed just how little grip there was.
This feeling of confusion had been carried by other motorists in the area.