A petition signed by 280 people has been presented to Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean, who will deliver it to Minister of Transport Steven Joyce today.
It calls for the Glenavy township's 70kmh speed restriction on State Highway 1 to be shifted about 2.5km south to about Jacksons Rd at the south end of Waitaki Bridge village.
That would cover the turn into Riverside Village south of Glenavy, the popular rest area north of the Waitaki River bridge where the fatal crash occurred in April, the Waitaki River bridge, the entrance into the Waitaki Bridge Park with its holiday and permanent homes, and the track that leads down to the jet-boat launching ramp.
The campaign has been led by Denise and Bill Taylor on the Glenavy side and Peter Anderson on the south side of the river.
Mr Anderson said yesterday there had been talk for years about lowering the speed limit, especially after fatal crashes on the south end of the bridge and its approach.
It came to a head after Tony Kelvin Wood (18), of Waimate, died in a collision between a car and horsefloat at the rest area just north of the bridge on April 9.
"One of the local residents was stopped two cars behind the crash and started talking with Bill [Taylor] that something needed to be done," Mr Anderson said.
That led to approaches to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and the decision to start the petition.
Mr Anderson said the situation was "getting worse and worse".
"It's a bottleneck for traffic - milk tankers, sheep trucks, trucks.
"It's the main outlet for all the farming that is here [on the Waitaki Plains].
"Everyone feels there's going to be more crashes," he said.
Mr Taylor said NZTA had been approached about extending the 70kmh limit, but had declined to do so.
His wife Denise had decided a petition was the next step.
Apart from recorded crashes, Mr Taylor said there were a lot of near misses, especially with vehicles turning into the rest area on the northern side of the river bridge.
"Often, when I'm in my workshop, I'll hear 10 or 20 horn blasts during the day.
"It's very dangerous with people pulling in and out [of the rest area]," he said.
Mrs Dean expected Mr Joyce to refer the petition to the NZTA.
"I have an open mind on the best way - it could be reduced speed, other solutions or a combination of both.
"The best thing is for NZTA to evaluate the risks and look at possible solutions," Mrs Dean said.
