Serious road safety concerns are prompting Omokoroa Community Board members to call for a slip-lane at the Omokoroa Rd intersection with State Highway 2.

High traffic volumes travelling between Katikati and Tauranga are making it difficult for residents to safely access the highway and board chair Don Cameron says a slip-lane would drastically reduce the risk of accidents.

Omokoroa Community Board chair Don Cameron at the intersection.

'It's a compulsory stop and if you're turning left to Tauranga, cars from Katikati are coming down the road at 100km/hour.

'If there's a car turning left [onto SH2] and a car turning right [into Omokoroa Rd] one or other hasn't got clear vision down the road.”

The board believes the issue is furthered by increasing delays in peak-hour traffic to Tauranga and impacts of the Wairoa Bridge closure.

Don raised the concerns with NZ Transport Agency at the board's last meeting to be told the majority of NZTA funding is going to projects in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, leaving little for the regions.

The stretch of road doesn't currently have designated solutions for specific congestion and intersection problems, says Don.

Don was told State Highway 29 is classified a highway of national significance because of the Port of Tauranga, but he is worried SH2 it's falling down the priority list.

'What we're looking for in future is that there are some improvements to SH2,” says Don.

'In the meantime if you could turn left out of Omokoroa Rd and have a slip-lane, for traffic to merge.”

Fellow board member Chris Woods drives from Omokoroa to Tauranga five days weekly, and says the intersection is a dilemma.

Chris says there are 2500 peninsula residents and Omokoroa is an identified Western Bay of Plenty growth area.

'The intersection is a high crash area. There are certainly people who have had some really big scares.

'We need to make sure the road is safe for 15,000, and what happens in 10 years' time.”

NZTA acting highway manager Andrew Scott says the organisation does see SH2 as a highway requiring safety improvements to deal with the growing numbers of vehicles using it.

'That's why we have started the SH2 Safe System Northern Corridor Project on this stretch of highway.

'The project is looking at designing and implementing safety improvements, to create a more forgiving road environment that reduces the likelihood of crashes with severe or fatal casualties.”

Andrew says as result NZTA is investigating SH2 between Tauranga and Waihi and working with stakeholders to develop solutions.

'This [slip-lane] is a good suggestion and we will investigate it, along with other options as part of the project.”