The Rural Delineation Programme (RDP) is a road safety programme that aims to provide a consistent approach to hazard identification across Auckland’s rural road network.
Project status: Construction (physical works)
Project zone: North
Project overview
In 2018, there were 649 road collisions in Auckland which resulted in someone either being killed or seriously hurt. Out of those collisions, 122 of them occurred on local, rural roads where drivers were leaving the road at bends.
A safety project will be implemented with the aim to reduce the risk of death and serious injury across all rural Auckland roads. The Rural Delineation Programme (RDP) is a road safety programme that aims to provide a consistent approach to hazard identification across Auckland’s rural road network.
The programme aims to make messages clearer to motorists when approaching hazards such as bends, so they can negotiate them in a safer manner, and the messaging will be determined by the severity of the hazard.
By changing how we display the messaging, we can reduce the risk of motorists misinterpreting the road environment on unfamiliar roads.
Benefits
- Reducing the risk of death or serious injury across Auckland roads.
- Improving road messaging so motorists can safely negotiate severe road hazards.
- Consistent approach to hazard identification across our road network.
Funding
The programme is partly funded by the Regional Fuel Tax.
Project details
To achieve the aim of the project we will be:
- Rationalising the existing signs at applicable destinations.
- Improving the signing of road bends.
- Improving road markings.
Project stages
Stage 1: Site verification works
To minimise the impact of works on the stakeholders, the nominated contractor, Auckland Transport’s Road Safety engineer and an independent Road Safety Engineer, will be undertaking site visits along the route. This is to ensure that the impact of any signage at individual locations: e.g. ensuring signage in proximity to property access; does not impact upon visibility of on-coming traffic.
Stage 2: Signage installation
Following completion of the site verification process, finalised plans will be approved which will then become the construction plans. The contractor will begin installation of signs in January 2020, and the programme is scheduled to run until May/June 2020.
Stage 3: Road marking upgrades
As part of the works, the existing road markings along the routes are being upgraded to longer life materials with increased reflective properties. This will improve the delineation along the route, particularly at night, and extend the length of time between road marking maintenance works.