Changes to improve Whanganui's London St pedestrian safety

SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS: NZTA will make changes to London Street to improve safety for Whanganui High School students.

Whanganui's London Street is to undergo some changes to make crossing the road safer for Whanganui High School students.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will be making changes to traffic islands near the roundabout and is proposing to introduce a variable speed limit to improve pedestrian safety. The initiatives have come about after Whanganui High School approached NZTA last year about safer access for the large number of students who cross London St (State Highway 3) at the rear of the school.

NZTA's regional transport manager Ross I'Anson says the following works will be done on London St:

- Increase the length of the existing central island to accommodate the student numbers.

- Add kerb extension islands on each side of the crossing to accommodate a number of students and increase the visibility between the pedestrians and approaching vehicles.

- Trim the hedge at the school entrance to improve visibility.

NZTA also intends to introduce a variable speed limit which would reduce the speed limit to 40km/h at the beginning and end of the school day, saying this will lessen the risk of crashes involving students.

The speed limit on London St would reduce to 40km/h from 8.15am to 9am and 3pm to 3.45pm Monday to Friday during the school terms. The speed limit would be displayed by an electronic sign that would be blank when the speed limit was not active.

NZTA is required to consult stakeholders and other affected parties for their feedback before setting speed limits. This process started on August 14 and lasts one month.

NZTA did not respond to requests for information about when the work would start or how people could participate in the consultation process.