Truck and car collide on Rapanui Rd and SH3 intersection

Emergency services are on the scene of a crash at SH3 and Rapanui Rd. Photo / Lucy Drake

A truck and car have collided at the intersection of Rapanui Rd and State Highway 3 north of Whanganui.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 1.45pm.

A police spokesperson said the road remained open but fire crews, police and ambulance officers were all on the scene.

Fire and Emergency NZ senior station officer Aaron Summerhays said there were no serious injuries but the two occupants of the car were being taken to hospital as a precaution.

The sole occupant of the truck was uninjured.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) recently announced a proposal to change the existing speed limit from 100kmh to 80kmh along that stretch of highway, stating the speed limits were no longer safe.

It follows a campaign by residents to reduce the speed in the area, including by the late Ray Stevens who owned the service station at the intersection of SH3 and Rapanui Rd and witnessed numerous close calls and a number of serious accidents from his vantage point.

"On average, I see one near-miss every day," he told the Chronicle last year.

There have been long-held concerns over the safety of the intersection. Photo / File

NZTA director of regional relationships Emma Speight said the proposals were intended as an effort to save lives and prevent serious injuries from crashes along the road.

"We are proposing lower speed limits to make the road safer for everyone who uses it.

"Between 2009 and 2018, there were 21 crashes on this road. Two people died and three people were seriously injured."

Speight said the agency recognised that Whanganui was growing, and the way the road was used had changed.

"It's a residential area with more development planned.

"The current speeds are no longer safe or right for the road. We know the intersection at Rapanui Rd is a concern for many people."