The Otago Automobile Association is offering to convene an urgent meeting between stakeholders and authorities to address safety concerns with Portobello Road.

“We’ve had a number of our Members raise concerns with us about Portobello Road,” says AA Otago District cycling spokesperson Hudson Biggs.

“The local community is deeply concerned about this road and the AA wants to be part of the solution by facilitating an urgent meeting between the City Council, NZTA, Spokes, business owners and the affected parties around the Portobello project to agree on a way forward from here.”

Changes to the layout of the road have created the risk of drivers going head-on towards oncoming vehicles mistakenly thinking both lanes travel in the same direction.

The AA has been working with Dunedin City Council and the NZ Transport Agency around the plans for developing a cycling network in Dunedin and supports creating safe routes that reduce the risks of crashes between people in cars and people on bikes. The AA has also been involved in proposals to correct the roading layout with Portobello Road, but it is clear that the local community is demanding wider consultation on any solution.

The AA Otago District Council, which represents more than 35,000 AA Members locally, was extremely concerned by today’s Otago Daily Times story highlighting continuing confusion around the changes to Portobello Road and the extent of that confusion.

“Road safety is a major focus of the AA and the current layout of the road is clearly not safe. People could easily be seriously hurt or killed because someone mistakenly ended up in the wrong lane.

“What has to happen now is quickly agreeing how to fix Portobello Road before anyone is hurt,” says Mr Biggs.

For more information contact:

Hudson Biggs
AA Otago District cycling spokesperson
New Zealand Automobile Association
M. 021 242 4998
W. www.aa.co.nz