A temporary reduced speed limit is being introduced on Canterbury's State Highway 8 for the rest of winter. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The Transport Agency says it's introducing a temporary reduced speed limit on Canterbury's State Highway 8 for the rest of winter following a spate of crashes.
Last week, 24 people were injured in three crashes on the stretch of road between Twizel and Lake Tekapō, including two buses, while it was blanketed in fog and had a black ice warning.
Waka Kotahi/NZTA had said it was considering temporary lower speed limits for the road.
NZTA to put in extra measures to keep travellers safe in ice
Waka Kotahi's South Island manager Mark Pinner told Morning Report the temporary limit would be reviewed at the end of August.
He said a fourth morning gritter crew had also been added to the road for the foreseeable future.
"In winters passed we've never had this spate of incidents, it's all occurred over the last week, we've just go to understand a little bit more as to what caused those accidents and then we've also got to just understand the actions that we take."
A de-icing product and grit were used and forecasts were watched, Pinner said.
People were encouraged to drive to the conditions but it was an alpine area and they could change very quickly, he said.
Grit crews had been through the area before both the bus crash and the multi-vehicle crash on Sunday.
"It's just the speed at which the ice does form.
"We're definitely proactive... we're just boosting those measures, we're putting those speed limits in now because we want to make sure there's more controls in place."
The Agency also had to balance keeping the road open when possible, Pinner said.
Calls for seat belts in buses to be compulsory after crashes
Twizel Fire Brigade deputy chief officer Ian Gardner said a safe speech for the road when it was icy and foggy was 50-60km/h.
The fog and ice were not unusual for this time of year, Gardner said.
"We tell people to drive to the conditions but I don't think they really understand what the conditions are.
"When we turn up to the scene we put boot chains on our feet, on our boots, just like snow chains cause a lot of the times you can't even stand up on the road."
Roading crews had been doing a better job this year than previously but more warnings and reduced speed would help, Gardner said.
He told Morning Report the bus crashes highlighted the need for compulsory seatbelts in buses.
"We had two buses do complete rollovers and according to the bus drivers most of those people were wearing seatbelts so we only stretchered two people away from that scene so that's pretty incredible for a bus rolling over."