The Kaimai Variable Speed Sign trial is beginning to receive awards because of a reduction in accidents on the road, with the two year trial just over half way through.

Early results show there have been fewer serious injury crashes and an overall reduction in the total number of crashes.

The weather activated speed signs, which change to slow traffic in bad weather, have been in operation since September 2015 and have resulted in the NZ Transport Agency receiving commendations from police for the effect they have.

Initial results show speeds are reducing when the signs are on. There has been a migration away from serious injury crashes towards minor injury crashes and an overall small reduction in the total number of crashes.

The very early results are promising, says the Transport Agency’s chief safety advisor Colin Brodie.

“This trial is aiming to get people driving at safe speeds that are appropriate to the Kaimai Range and the conditions and our initial results are indicating that is happening.

“But overall, our work to create a truly safe transport system needs safe roads, safe vehicles, safe road use and safe speeds, so there is still some way to go.”

The input of locals and other people who travel the route on a daily basis is vital to the success of the trial.

“We need to hear from people as we go so that we can make adjustments and improvements to the trial, like adding in the extra zone at the top of the Kaimai Range.

“We will continue to monitor the trial, particularly around how we determine when the signs are turned on and when they are turned off.”

The 26 high-tech signs are part of a two year trial by the NZ Transport Agency aiming to reduce the crash rate on the steep road, which links the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

The trial started with 22 signs but was increased to 26 to enable the signs to be activated at different speeds over three zones; west, east and summit.

This means in very localised conditions, for example when fog is only over a small summit section, the speed reduction can be put in place only for that summit zone.

The Transport Agency monitors a weather station, sensors and cameras near the speed signs and adjusts the speeds between 30km/h to 100km/h depending on the conditions.

For weather conditions it is only reduced to 60km/h in the western zone and 80km/h in the eastern zone.

The speeds are enforced by local police.

The trial has now won two awards for safety and innovation and one Certificate of Appreciation Friday. One of the awards was a Road Safety Practitioners Award awarded to Senior Road Safety Engineer Adam Francis at the 2016 Australasian Road Safety Conference 2016 in Canberra in September.

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/kaimai-weather-activated-variable-speed-limit-trial/