N.Z. road signs found wanting

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 7

N.Z. road signs found wanting

PA Wellington An English road safety engineer, Mr Mike Goodge, says New Zealand road signs are inadequate. The Devon County Council’s principal road safety engineer, Mr Goodge is spending, a month, training Ministry of Transport accident investigation teams. He designs safe roads. Small remedial traffic work reduced accident costs, he said. “This means improved lines, signing, traffic islands, pedestrian crossings, road surfaces, bend warnings,” he said. Since 1950, Britain’s traffic flow had increased 700 per cent, but accident levels had remained static. Mr Goodge said his work, and other driver education, could save needless accidents. New Zealand road signs were poor. The introduction of international signing, recently considered by the National Roads Board, would help. Median barriers were more difficult.

“Often they can’t be justified in terms of cost-

effectiveness for the number of accidents they save, but political pressures can make the funding for them available, which is good,” he said. On the other hand, New Zealand could teach Britain something about pedestrian facilities. Mr Goodge’s visit, sponsored by the Ministry of Transport, National Roads Board, and the Accident Compensation Corporation, is part of an exchange of traffic engineering knowledge between the Ministry and the Devon County Council.