Margaritelli Road Barrier – Safety, with good looks

A joint project between Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) and Metlink to improve the public transport experience and better connect the Paraparaumu Transport Hub to the retail centre will be completed by June.

The works include building a larger and more convenient bus interchange set within a landscaped, fully accessible public plaza. As part of the work, CSP’s Margaritelli Aesthetic Safety Barrier System was selected to protect motorists and pedestrians at the entrance to a nearby retail area.

“There were two reasons why CSP’s Margaritelli Aesthetic Safety Barrier was selected for this corner,” explains Matthew Brown, Principal (NZ) for Siecap Pty Ltd, the company tasked with project managing the transport hub upgrade. “Firstly, we wanted an attractive, bespoke safety barrier to fit in with the overall look of the upgrade and accentuate the planted area in front of the barrier.”

“The second reason is that as it is a 50km speed zone and Margaritelli Aesthetic Barrier has been crash tested to not only handle passenger vehicles, but trucks also.”

Matt says the roadway is also quite a bit higher than the footpath on the other side of the garden and there is a risk of a vehicle crashing off the road and dropping down to the path, possibly injuring passing pedestrians. “There had been an accident on that corner where a vehicle went through what was there previously and into the garden, so it was important that we chose a barrier that could withstand impacts.”

Manaia Ngata, Project Manager of Transport and Infrastructure for Downer - the main contractor on the project says, “The installed barrier looks really nice and is certainly better than a W beam steel option.”