Waitaki District Council is proposing to change a 55-metre part of Lincoln Street, Hampden, where it crosses the rail line, to one-way.
This is after KiwiRail and the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association identified a safety concern with vehicles approaching the railway crossing from the seaward side.
The safety concern comes from the need for drivers to stop completely and check for trains, followed by a slow uphill start – which can be particularly difficult for larger vehicles towing trailers. This can mean that towing-vehicles are slow to get off the tracks. The narrow road also adds risk: when two vehicles approach from opposite directions at the crossing, drivers often focus on avoiding each other rather than paying full attention to the railway line
If the change happens, drivers will have to exit lower Lincoln Street, after the railway crossing, by using Carlisle Street and Chelmsford Street instead.
Both of these streets, and the upper part of Lincoln Street, will remain two-way.
The Council wants to know what you think about this idea.
