Signs to improve rural school road safety
As most children prepare to go back to school next week, Associate Transport Minister Simon Bridges has today announced a significant increase in variable speed limit signs. This is part of a wider rural school safety programme launched today.
"Road safety around rural schools is a major concern in many rural communities, where parents dropping off and picking up their children must also deal with high-speed through traffic," says Mr Bridges.
The first step in the rural school safety programme will be an increase in the number of schools trialling variable speed limit signs designed to reduce speeds during school drop-off and pick-up periods, from the current seven to 23 sites by the end of 2013.
Variable speed limits trials at rural schools began in early 2012 as part of the Government’s Safer Journeys action plan.
"The NZTA’s evaluation of the trial has shown that the variable speed limits have been effective in reducing vehicle speeds both before and after school and in improving driver behaviour around schools."
In addition to the increase of schools conducting a variable speed limit trial next year, two other initiatives will be undertaken as part of the rural school safety programme.
Working in partnership with the Ministry of Education, local councils and the Police, the NZTA will also assess the degree of road safety risk and prioritise all other rural and peri-urban schools and identify actions needed to improve safety at the highest risk schools.
"A High Risk Rural Schools Guide will also be developed to be used by communities, schools and road controlling authorities to assess risk and identify opportunities for improving road safety at rural schools."
The plan is to produce a two-part High Risk Schools Guide, one for rural schools and then one for urban schools.
"Safer Journeys - New Zealand’s road safety strategy to 2020 - envisions a safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury. Safe speed is an important part of this system. Through the rural school safety programme we are helping to ensure some of our most vulnerable are better protected on our roads."
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