Road safety changes just the start

Recent interest in road safety on Scroggs Hill Rd and Seaview Rd has prompted a wider discussion...
Recent interest in road safety on Scroggs Hill Rd and Seaview Rd has prompted a wider discussion on improving roads and footpaths in Brighton township. Photo by Linda Robertson.

A mirror will be installed at the sharp bend near the bottom of Scroggs Hill Rd, no-stopping lines painted along Seaview Rd and new speed change signs erected as soon as possible.

And making the rest of Brighton's roads safer is next, with another public meeting to be held early next year.

The immediate changes are to be made after public consultation with Brighton residents concerned about speeding and issues with blocked vision on Scroggs Hill Rd and Seaview Rd.

Dunedin City Council transportation engineer Michael Harrison told the Saddle Hill Community Board last week he found the process had been ''invigorating and professionally rewarding''.

He felt agreement on the changes had come about in the most positive way, with feedback from the community, both at a public meeting at the Brighton Surf Club in September and in written submissions after that, being constructive and realistic.

There may be some reservations about losing parking in Seaview Rd, where concerns had been raised about pedestrians and children on bikes being forced to walk on the road because of cars parked at the side of the road, but most people had said they could live with losing some parking there.

There was one thing people had wanted that could not be done - existing informal parking at the bottom of Scroggs Hill Rd (beside the bus shelter) would have to go, because there was no room for it and it was an area where there had been crashes.

The next step was to draw up detailed plans and specifications for contractors, so the work could be costed out and a timeline drawn up.

While making Scroggs Hill Rd safer had been the first priority, the recent interest in road safety issues had prompted a wider community discussion on the projects and issues in Brighton township, many of which had been identified in the town's community plan for several years.

The board noted and supported the changes.

Mr Harrison said it was hoped the changes on Scroggs Hill and Seaview Rd would be made before Christmas.

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