ROAD TO NOWHERE ....

..... but, with changes, hopefully somewhere.

Around the country The NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi)  has been seeking community input as to the changes wanted in each area. I've attended our local meeting and have made a submission to the local community association as well as to Waka Kotahi.

I live in a rural area with roads designed for slower cars and for e lesser density of traffic. What were once completely rural areas now have new housing bringing increased traffic and greater dangers. At present, and has been the same for at least 20 years we have an open road that has varying speed limits from 100kph on most parts, 70 kph on two sections and 50 kph on sections that run through the 'villages'.

The problem with his is that on the road from the built up area of Onerahi to the end of the road at Ocean Beach Whangarei Heads there is probably only one short section where 100kph is safe or even possible. The rest is hilly and windy road with tight corners and on a poorly cambered road. 80kph at most is the safest speed on the best buts with 60kph on at least half of the sections.

At the meeting and in the various council and Waka Kotahi reports there have been many submissions suggestion multi- speed restriction so that the 30km stretch of road could have speeds of 80, 70, 60, 50, 40 and even 30. This is going to extremes. I voted for 80kph maximum with 50kph through the villages and down to 40kph when going past the two schools where children are likely to cross. I see this as common sense and hopefully this will be implemented.

We've lived here since 2009 and have seen lots of accidents - or the aftermath of them with cars in fields, off the road or upside down in ditches. On one notorious corner not far from where we live cars frequently go off the road and end up in the mangroves. When it is full tide this is dangerous. Two weeks ago, while we were having a spell of bad weather, in a 3 day period 5 cars went off the road at this corner, ending up in the sea and one of these was fatal with the driver drowning in his upside down car. Speed and not driving to conditions is a factor in most of these accidents but the 77 year old guy who died was a driver for a local school bus, past editor of a driving magazine and a vintage car enthusiast. I expect that he knew how to drive to conditions. 

Close to this corner is a boating marina. Boaties tow their boats away from this after a day out fishing. The more irresponsible bastards don't drain out their boats properly before driving off instead, opening the drain bungs and letting oily (fish oil and diesel) water leak out all over the road behind them. With this mess on the road, when it rains, it creates an extremely dangerous situation with a current road speed of 100kph. I've always been wary of this corner (approached by going downhill to an 'L' shaped right turn) and have taken the corner at 60kph at most. It took this chap's death for the council or Waka Kotahi to put some temporary barriers up and they are now erecting safety signage. Hopefully in future this will be a compulsory 60kph area.

Last night was stormy - thunderstorm- rain and high winds. In the early hours the local fire station siren sounded twice - several hours apart. The siren (a WW2 air raid siren) automatically sounds when there is a traffic, fire, medical or coastal emergency triggered by the 111 calls. It is to alert the local volunteer firemen who turn up, at all hours of day or night within minutes and then the fire truck heads out.

This morning, when I drove into town I saw a wrecked car, upside down in the ditch about a half mile from home. This was definitely the result of speed and stupid driving and may have been a stolen car.

I've seen about 6 wrecks like this in about the same place over the last 13 years. Hopefully, with sensible speed regulations* there will be fewer of them.

* Not everyone is in agreement with the safety oriented changes going by comments at the meeting I attended and on Neighbourly (Facebook) with the speed dicks and dickesses who drive powerful cars and think that they're good drivers scoffing at the proposed changes. It's those people I'd like to see in a ditch as empirical knowledge is the only way that they will learn to moderate their driving behaviour.