Vehicle incident in Kihikihi highlights concerns of safety along main street

Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency will undertake a technical assessment of Lyon St to determine if the current speed is unsafe. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

Some Kihikihi business owners have expressed their concerns about speed and safety along the village's main street after a vehicle incident.

Sabelle Manukau, owner of Kihikihi's new Nice Things Linger Longer, arrived to work on Friday, August 28 to find that a vehicle, either the night before or in the early hours of the morning, had taken out the pedestrian crossing light post.

Her shop is located directly opposite from the pedestrian crossing.

"I'm so lucky that it hasn't wiped my shop out," says Sabelle.

The light post was moved into the yard of the old dairy and parts that had come off a car were left also.

Sabelle says the overarching issue is that drivers are going too fast along Lyon St, which also doubles as State Highway 3.

She says she is scared to walk along the pedestrian crossing because of how fast people drive.

"I'm actually afraid to walk across there because people are not looking to see who is on the side of the road and they are going so fast, honestly you get a lot of people just hurling through here," says Sabelle.

The damaged light post and debris from a car left behind after a vehicle incident. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

The speed limit within the village centre is 50km/h but Sabelle along with other business owners believe it either needs to be reduced to 40km/h or other safety measures need to be put in place.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has stated that within the next 12 months they will be undertaking a technical assessment of the road.

"The assessment takes into account crash history, average vehicle speeds, volume of vehicles on the road and the development of surrounding areas to help us determine if changing the speed limits is the best thing to do to improve road safety," says NZTA Waikato system manager Cara Lauder.

Further steps, such as engagement and consultation with the public, will be taken before changing the speed limit if the technical assessment determines the current speed limits are not safe.

NZTA have also indicated that they are working to replace the pedestrian crossing light post and they hope it will be in place by the end of the month.

The crossing remains illuminated by the lighting pole on the opposite side of the road and nearby street lighting, says Cara.

"However we would encourage motorists and pedestrians to take extra care at the crossing, particularly in low light conditions," she says.