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The Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency said highway contractors have expressed concern about a “significant increase” in drivers ignoring posted speed limits at southern roadworks sites in recent months.
The agency said there has also been recent evidence of nighttime crashes, where vehicles collided with steel barriers due to excessive speed in areas still under repair or newly sealed.
“This behavior is a major safety concern for our workers, for the drivers themselves and for all other road users,” said Peter Brown, Waka Kotahi Travel Manager for the Lower South Island.
“Everyone deserves to return home safely to family and friends after a hard day at work, often in hot and uncomfortable conditions, and that includes all of our road repair and traffic management teams,” he said.
The contractors’ concerns were raised with the police, who said several motorists, some traveling well over the temporary speed limit, had been stopped in recent days.
“This has resulted in a simple education for most drivers, but in some cases, violation notices have been necessary,” said Amelia Steel, the district’s road enforcement manager.
Brown acknowledged that multiple roadworks sites encountered in one trip can be frustrating, but drivers must be patient and adhere to speed restrictions.
Even where there were no personnel actively working on them, reduced speed limits were in place to protect the road surface where it was recently sealed and avoid unnecessary damage to vehicles.
