Where I live there has been lively debate at local citizen association meetings, on Neighbourly and in the newspapers, about the proposed speed limit changes advocated by Waka Kotahi's Speed Management Plan 2023-2024, which proposes speed limit changes - mainly reductions - to around 3.2 per cent of the country’s state highways and further reductions around schools, marae, and other urban areas.
I'm not a 'wowser' when It comes to driving and do move along at a quick pace WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO but recognise that country roads, especially ones that are hilly and windy are not suitable for 100km speeds and some and parts of others are not even suitable for 80 km speed limits. They are just plain dangerous.
In the 'debates' which get a bit fractious at times the 'go faster' brigade, usually bully-boys in 4WD utes, scream that the roads are safe for 'good' drivers (meaning themselves) and denigrate the 'slow' (read sensible) drivers who they say are old fogeys. Admittedly there are a lot of older people who live in Whangarei Heads but only a very few are timid 50km maximum drivers with most driving to the speeds that the roads warrant which are 80km mostly with 50 km through the 'villages' and 40km near the schools. How hard is this to understand? Apparently quite hard for the petrol heads who think that the over-powered monstrosities they drive somehow make them excellent drivers.
 |
| "I am what I drive" |
I think that we will get sensible speed changes (reductions on the dangerous bits) which should mean that there will be a corresponding reduction in the number of cars going off the road which is about two a week with some fatalities. Every-time the local fire brigade's siren sounds (to summon the volunteers) we assume that there has been another accident and nine times out of ten it is because of this. The two call outs after midnight on New Years day were due to morons setting fire to things with fireworks though and at this time of the year there are call-outs to Ocean Beach to rescue or resuscitate idiots who have ignored the beach patrol warnings. Most are car related however.
On Remutaka Hill, transport authorities have proposed reducing the road’s speed limit by 40km per hour, from 100km to 60km in the steepest, windiest 11km near the top. The limit would come down to 80km/h in the lower sections near Upper Hutt and Featherston.
This very dangerous road should never have been 100 km rated as it is hilly and windy (in two senses of the word). Speed reduction will make it safer and will save lives.
REMUTAKA HILL ROAD SPEED REDUCTION
No doubt though, like in Northland there will be bogans and macho tradie types who will be against this change. If only it was them taking themselves on their own to Robert's heaven and not crashing head on into innocents.
6 comments:
I totally agree. Instead of driving fast, these morons could be challenged to see how fast they could play on the double bass. They're building vehicles that are too big and powerful for our roads. For some reason Suzuki Swifts (small cars) always seem to think they're on a racetrack too.
La mamma degli imbecilli รจ sempre incinta.
I don't watch much TV (with ads) but occasionally see car advertisements. I note how they market to younger women with the small Suzuki Swift type cars but they jazz up the ads to make them seem sporty and that driving them is hilarious. Yes, hilarious. The actors jump in and are all hyped up and laughing and are seen to zip around city streets on the way to a coffee date with other young women. There's no mention of safety and the ads tell nothing at all about the car, it's features (other than its colour) and the fact that it's trendy and fun. This is the WRONG message but then, I'm old now and a fuddy duddy.
I wrote in recently to Hyundai Marketing Department to complain about a Hyundai Tucson ad. The theme is 'cutting edge' and it showed a young woman driving fast (and 'hilariously') cutting corners. She raced past a group of schoolgirls on the footpath making their hair and skirts fly. She cut a corner on a country road and sliced in half a road marker (cutting edge) before racing along at the top of a coastal (fragile) cliff face and slicing off a landslide portion.
This ad was so wrong on may levels which I pointed out in my complaint. As you can guess I never received a response. Bastards! I will never buy a Hyundai.
You could extend this idea and tell Putin that invading peaceful nations is wrong too!
Good idea Robert. I'll write to him.
I'll also write to the pope and remind him that, although he has done some good things he still didn't expose all the bad things that Ratzinger did and failed to correct all the deliberate things he didn't do (mostly involving pedophile priests).
Robert, over the years I have brought bad things to the attention of advertisers, marketers, corporations, MPs and local body officials and often apologies were made and things corrected. I don't sit back like you and just hope that some mythical being will correct them. Sometimes you have to make a stand. I don't apologise for it and don't appreciate your sarcasm.
Well done TC!
Post a Comment