About road safety
We run a number of road safety projects and activities involving primary and secondary schools and a range of community groups.
The Transport Safety Coordinator's main task is to liaise with community groups and organisations, creating networks and bringing about positive change in road safety outcomes.
This work promotes 'ownership' of road safety, and brings the community closer to the development of a 'road safety culture'. It reflects the continued emphasis expressed in the Community Plan on road safety improvements and steps to reduce the number of crashes occurring on the district's roads.
Our road safety initiatives include:
- road safety education and advertising campaigns targeting key safety issues – pedestrians, intersections, speed, drink-driving and motorcyclists
- regular child restraint checks
- a school travel programme
- supporting school road patrols
- running Bike Wise events in February
- ongoing engineering investments such as traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, reduced speed limits on high-risk roads, traffic calming to create slow zones in residential streets, improving intersection design and cycle lanes.
Top road safety issues
The top seven road safety issues in the Kāpiti district are:
- pedestrian safety
- cycle safety
- motorcyclists
- young drivers
- intersections – failure to give way or stop
- excessive speed
- mature road users.
Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) working group
Each year we develop a road safety programme in line with the government's road safety 2020 strategy.
By doing this, we combine our efforts with the efforts of:
- road police
- community police
- Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)
- NZ Transport Authority (NZTA)
- Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Some projects also involve neighbouring councils and community groups such as schools, marae and the Plunket Society. The RSAP working group meets four times a year, and the RSAP document outlines plans and projects for the year, and how agencies will work together.
Poplar Avenue Te Ara o Whareroa Crossing – Safe System Assessment
Council asked Tonkin + Taylor to carry out a Safe System Assessment (SSA) of the existing crossing point where the Te Ara o Whareroa shared pathway meets Poplar Avenue.
This work involved a safety review of the existing situation (including review of existing data and reports), identification of any appropriate short term and long-term safety treatment options and an SSA of these options.
The report is complete, and can be read at Poplar Avenue Te Ara o Whareroa Crossing – Safe System Assessment [PDF 1.8 MB] [PDF, 1.8 MB].