What will make rural roads safer and who should pay?

A horror series of fatal crashes last weekend has prompted the head of road policing to highlight the lack of median divisions on many rural roads, and call for a reduced speed limit in some areas. What should rural and provincial communities expect in terms of road quality and who should pay? Alex Wright is a spokesperson for the Pipiwai Titoki Advocacy for Community Health and Safety Group. She lives in rural Whangarei and has been lobbying for 11 years for the improvements to the unsealed roads in her area. Brendan Duffy is the deputy chair of Local Government New Zealand, and mayor of Horowhenua District Council and Ernst Zollner is the Transport Agency's head of road safety - and regional director for Northland.