The Dunedin City Council will investigate options to improve safety on a steep, winding and narrow Dunedin street, after a car pulling over for an ambulance nearly went over the edge on Thursday night.
The car had pulled over on a tight section of Lancefield St in the dark, and ended up teetering on edge of a steep bank beside the street. It had to be pulled to safety by a tow truck.
Residents of the street, in Maryhill, complained to the council about how dangerous they thought the street was and senior traffic engineer Ron Minnema visited yesterday to discuss the situation.
The residents, who did not want to be identified, said they had previously complained about the safety of the street, and were glad there was now going to at least be an investigation.
Mr Minnema said he spent half an hour in Lancefield St and there seemed to be some validity to the residents' concerns. However, the street being narrow was, on its own, no justification for changing it to a one-way street or closing it - two options the residents thought should be considered.
The council would investigate both short-term and long-term safety solutions during the next few weeks and get back to the residents. However, the risks the street posed had to be balanced with available funds and priorities, he said.
Traffic volume on the street appeared to be low, and few crashes had been reported there.
A visit to observe traffic at night on the street would be part of the investigation and a traffic survey of the street, noting use, speeds and directional split, would take up to two months to complete.
Some of the low-cost short term options could be adding signage, addressing any surface issues and extending barriers further down the street, he said.
Any remedial action required would be done before Christmas.
"But we can't promise anything. It's all got to be in balance with all the requests we get from all over town."
