Road Safety

Roads, Parking & Transport

Road safety

Transport safety is an ongoing problem in South Canterbury. With the Government committing to Road to Zero and setting a target of reducing deaths and serious injuries by 40% by 2030, the Timaru, Waimate and Mackenzie District Councils, Waka Kotahi – NZ Transport Agency, NZ Police, South Canterbury Road Safety and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) are committed to road safety programmes to improve road safety performance in South Canterbury.

These agencies, which make up the South Canterbury Road Safety Co-ordinating Committee are part of a larger group across Canterbury that has agreed to work on:

  • Promoting good choices but planning for mistakes
  • Designing roads for human vulnerability
  • Strengthening all parts of the road transport system
  • Sharing responsibility for improving road safety
  • Ensuring actions are grounded in evidence and evaluated
  • Choosing road safety actions which support health, well-being and liveable places
  • Making safety a critical decision-making priority.
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Click here to read more about South Canterbury Road Safety

Click here to read more about Road to Zero - New Zealand's Road Safety Strategy

Tips for safe winter driving

Extra care and attention is vital when driving through the Timaru District in the winter months. Adverse weather conditions are more prevalent in winter and road users need to adjust their driving behaviour accordingly. A particular hazard is black ice, which forms in many places in our District. It is difficult to see and extremely dangerous to drivers who are not aware of it. Weather conditions are often recorded as contributing factors to fatal and serious injury crashes. You can prepare yourself for driving safely in winter by:

  • Checking the weather and road conditions before you drive
  • Ensuring your vehicle is serviced regularly and safe to drive
  • Ensuring your car's heater, fans, wipers, defrosters, and demisters are working
  • Making sure all indicators and all lights are working
  • Putting antifreeze into your car’s engine during winter
  • Ensuring your windscreen is clean both inside and out

School travel planning

Lifestyle changes and influences globally, mean more and more people rely on private transport for their daily activities impacting on the way children travel to and from school. The increase in the number of cars on our roads impacts negatively on the health of school children, through reduced physical activity as well as creating an unsafe environment around schools. It also impacts on transport costs, traffic congestion and the environment.

Since 2007, the Timaru District Council, with the assistance of Community and Public Health have been developing and implementing School Travel Plans for a number of local schools. School travel plans are increasingly being seen as a key contributor towards safe transport with schools becoming involved for the following reasons:

  • Safety around children's journeys to and from school
  • Traffic congestion, particularly around the school entrance
  • Environmental awareness.

For more information about creating a School Travel Plan in your school, visit this website: https://www.wavesouthcanterbury.co.nz/health-topics/waka-pou-tikanga-active-travel/

Last updated: 24 Mar 2022