Authorities in New Zealand are urging motorists to drive safely on roads in Otago and Southland to take extra care on roads this weekend.
The state of emergency in Southland is causing increased traffic on secondary routes.
At the same time, many people have taken a long weekend, meaning increased traffic on all roads, and some people are traveling to Dunedin for the Queen concert on Monday. The Burt Munro Challenge motorcycle rally is underway.
“There have been too many fatalities on Southern roads recently – seven in the last fortnight. We do not want to see any more this weekend,” Acting Southern District Commander Superintendent Darryl Sweeney. said in a news release.
“We are working with our road safety partner the NZ Transport Agency to mitigate the risk, but we need people to slow down and take care,” Sweeney added. “It’s going to be busy, so motorists should allow extra time and remember to share, take regular breaks and maintain their focus.”
NZ Transport Agency Journey Manager Peter Brown says contractors are working hard throughout the region to repair state highways as the clean-up effort continues, with speed restrictions and stop-go controls in place on several state highways.
The Transport Agency is asking motorists to be patient and to comply with all temporary speed restrictions. Restrictions are in place to ensure the safety of the men and women working to repair the roads, as well as for the safety of drivers and their passengers, officials said.
