Residents of Letts Gully Rd were shocked when a change increased the speed limit on a part of the road that has poor visibility, blind corners and an increasing number of driveways.
Central Otago District Council seems to have been surprised also, telling The News that the new signs had been put up in error and had since been rectified.
John Grant, who lives on the road, said the new signs had been up for some time but it was only when the tape was removed a couple of weeks back that residents saw a stretch of road that includes the Thyme Valley Rd turnoff had been increased from 70kmh to 100kmh.
‘‘I was extremely surprised because no person with any knowledge of vehicle speeds would have done that,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s purely a matter of road safety. They have made it more dangerous, not safer.’’
Alex Laurenson, who lives opposite Thyme Valley Rd, was more blunt in his observation.
‘‘It’s craziness,’’ he said. ‘‘They had a 70k limit past our gateway and now we have 100k. It’s a bloody death trap.’’
Neighbour Nigel Murray said he made a submission to Central Otago District Council regarding the proposed speed limit changes but did not recall any relating to Letts Gully Rd.
‘‘I submitted that these roads with no median strips should be 80kmh, not 100,’’ he said.
Owen ‘‘Baldy’’ Shearer said a new subdivision was being built with another eight homes, and a lot of traffic from Golden Rd and McArthur Ridge Rd used Letts Gully Rd.
The residents were happy that their concerns had been listened to and the problem rectified.
