Smoother drive on the way for Cambridge motorists

Six raised safety platforms on central Cambridge roads are being ground down to provide a smoother drive, following complaints from motorists.

Platforms on Alpha, Bryce and Grey Streets, and the raised pedestrian crossing at the Queen and Bryce Streets’ roundabout, will be reduced by up to 50mm.

The work is underway today and is planned to run until Friday, May 2. For some of this time one lane of Queen Street will be closed between Dick and Bryce Streets, and Stop/Go traffic management will be in place on parts of Bryce, Alpha, and Grey Streets.

Group manager service delivery Dawn Inglis said the raised safety platforms and the crossing were doing their job to slow vehicles, but the gradient on some had been recognised as too severe.

“We put raised platforms in at busy intersections and high traffic areas because we want to make it easy and safe for people to walk and bike around our districts,” she said.

“However, it’s not always easy to get the gradient 100 percent correct, and we accept these ones are too jarring for motorists.”

Raised safety platforms and crossings are designed to slow vehicles to reduce the risk of injury and deaths on residential roads. They will be uncomfortable for people who drive over them faster than the advised limit. Drivers following the recommended speed will generally experience no issues.

Their gradient is engineered to reduce traffic speed from 50km/h to 30km/h, which greatly increases the chance of a pedestrian surviving being hit by a car. If a person is hit by a car travelling at 50km/h, there is only a 20 percent chance they will survive; at 30 km/h the survival rate increases to 90 percent.

Inglis said they are usually installed in high traffic, high pedestrian areas, particularly near schools and rest homes.

“They slow vehicle speeds just enough to give people time to react and avoid a crash or to at least minimise the severity - significantly increasing the chances of surviving an impact at lower speeds.

“We want to make it easy and safe for families, tamariki and elderly to bike and walk around our district, so we put these measures in place to help keep everybody safe.”