Ōtaki MP Nathan Guy attended the launch of the KiwiRAP Star Ratings in Parliament last week, and says it reinforces the need to upgrade SH1 between Levin and Wellington.
“The ratings have been developed by the AA and the NZ Transport Agency using vehicles with five onboard cameras that rate roads from one to five.
“It will be no surprise to local people that SH1 around Levin and Ōtaki has only a two star rating.
“A two star rating means a road has many major deficiencies such as poor alignment and poor roadside conditions.
“We’ve known for years that improvements are needed on our roads and I’ve campaigned strongly on this issue.
“Waikanae and Paraparaumu gets a three star rating, which could be better considering it carries over 20,000 vehicles a day.
“Over the last five years there have been 59 serious or fatal crashes on the stretch of road between Paraparaumu and Levin.
“This is one of the reasons why the National government has made the Levin to Wellington Airport corridor a Road of National Significance, with $2.2 billion in funding to build an expressway including Transmission Gully.
“This will ultimately mean less congestion, safer journeys and a real boost to the regional economy.
“We all need to continue to take responsibility for road safety by being aware of conditions and adjusting our driving and our speeds accordingly.
“I’m pleased that NZTA is making good progress on the expressway. Already a tender has been awarded to a roading Alliance to upgrade the section between MacKays Crossing and Peka Peka, with the Ōtaki section soon to follow.”
The ratings are available at www.kiwirap.co.nz