New safety measures slow down Southfield Drive

Safety concerns have sparked a range of new roading measures outside a Lincoln primary school.

A range of low-cost improvements have been made due to increased traffic around Araria Springs Primary School - Te Puna o Ararira.

The Selwyn District Council has been monitoring traffic conditions on Southfield Drive for some time, particularly following concerns from the surrounding community about the safety of school children during drop-off and pick-up times.

Extended variable speed zones of 30km/h have been approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency during peak traffic times of 8.30am to 9am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm on school days.

Additional road markings, signage, speed humps and cushions have also been installed on surrounding busy streets.

Council road safety engineer Ravi Venugopal said the safety improvements on Southfield Drive were aimed at making a positive impact on safety for both the school and the wider community.

Ararira Springs Primary School principal Claire Howison has already seen major improvements during peak traffic times.

“It is really just those two windows people need to be hyper-vigilant in, the half hour at the beginning and end of each day, and if we can put measures in place to make them more aware, then the kids are the winners.

“We are happy we have been able to slow people down just on the point where the kids are crossing.

“We are really grateful for the remediation and the traffic calming measures that have been put in place, and we have had really positive feedback from our community."

The effectiveness of the changes will continue to be monitored on a regular basis.