Pixie
2nd August 2005, 09:09
As expected motorcyclists aren't the only one with a low opinion of Transit's
work on Highway one.
From NZ Farmers Weekly...
North Waikato farmers and contractors are far from impressed with road safety improvements to State Highway One.
The focus on preventing head-on car crashes had increased the danger for locals entering and leaving one of the busiest stretches of road in the country, Rangiriri farmer Trevor Simpson said.
SH1 between the Rangiriri Tavern and Hampton Downs has long been a notorious stretch of road for car ciashes.
As part of the highway upgrade, an expressway has been completed between Ohinewai and Hampton Downs.
The stretch around Ranginri now features wire rope as a median barrier and steel railing alongside the embankments.
“There has been a huge effort to prevent head-on collisions, but little effort to get vehicles waiting to get on to the highway safely, particularly heavy vehicles and tractors,” Simpson said.
Roading authority Transit NZ had failed to allow sufficient space for acceleration lanes at intersections, such as the Te Kauwhata junction and the Rangiriri bridge turn-off.
Farmers and contractors forced to use the road between jobs and land now face the ire of motorists slowed to their speed through a stretch of road which lacks any safe shoulder for slower traffic to drive upon.
There is now only one lane north, with no merging lane and little room for vehicles to get by in the event of a breakdown or accident.
Simpson said despite the $7m spent making the 8km stretch safer, Transit had failed to future proof the road and locals feel short changed.
“We were fully expecting to see a four lane highway route, and all we get is a stretch of road made narrower and more dangerous by median strips and poor planning.
“They may have eliminated head-
on collisions, but someone is going to get cleaned up in a side-on collision with a truck pulling out from the Rangiriri bridge on a foggy morning?’
Once turning traffic was committed to the main road, there were no “angel lanes” in the middle and little space for on-coming vehicles to avoid colliding, he said..
John Green runs an agricultural contracting business and said his tractor drivers received constant abuse from motorists frustrated at not being able to get past the machines through the stretch.
“I have seriously thought of putting some bumper stickers on the back of my machines saying “Don’t blame me, blame Transit”.
Two years ago at a local consultation meeting with Transit, Green told officials drainage sumps alongside the proposed road needed
to be set back from the shoulder to allow slower vehicles and cyclists to pull over without hitting them.
“They agreed it was a bloody good idea, and easily achieved. Well, here we are two years later and they have not listened. We have drain sumps you cannot drive over for fear of losing control, and cyclists don’t have a hope of getting around them either?’
The result is tractor drivers were forced to pull into the main traffic flow, bringing one of the country’s busiest stretches to a near standstill.
Green’s business also came to a near standstill during busy weekends when traffic volumes on Friday evenings and Sundays made travelling on and off SF11 risky and impractical.
The stretch of road was officially opened on June 28, and so far no major accidents have occurred.
However, both men doubt any real planning has allowed for handling an accident when and if it does occur.
“If there is an accident, there is no way the ambulance or fire brigade from Te Kauwhata will be able to get through, so assistanceis going to have to come from further north or south,” Simpson said.
The area has a high number of agricultural and heavy traffic movements locally, without including traffic going to and from Auckland.
Stock trucks use the Rangiriri bridge for access to much of the north-western Waikato.
Farm tractors and heavy traffic to quarries and Huntly power station make up the rest.
Difficulties getting onto SHI from the bridge now that any merging lane is gone mean trucks are oflen queued up over the bridge for long periods of time.
Transit New Zealand is disappointed at the reaction of North Waikato residents to recent road upgrades.
Regional operations manager Jan Cox said, he could understand locals were expecting a full four lane expressway, but the funds simply dis not extend that far.
“We feel we did make it clear through consultation what was going to be delivered. The road simply could not remain as it was given the number of head- on collisions. We have definitely made it safer.”
Cox maintained the road, despite wire rope and steel barriers, was wider than before.
But it was inevitable tractors would end up having to join the traffic flow, he said.
The aim of the road section was to prevent passing and therefore head-on collisions.
“Traffic volumes along that road flow are so large that perhaps there is no place for tractors and slow machinery, perhaps trucking tractors between jobs will have to be considered,” Cox said.
The turn-off from the Rangiriri bridge had always involved getting on to a busy stretch of road, and Cox said this too had been made safer.
He believed adequate space and lanes had been provided for drivers to accelerate on to the main highway from Te Kauwhata.
“It has always been a give way, so you have always had to pick a gap when you leave from there anyway.”
Cox admitted in an ideal world there would be an expressway right through the area, joining those already in place to the north and south.
Howerver, money and the historical sensitivity of the Rangiriri Pa site prevented Transit making any greater improvements to the stretch.
He estimated a full expressway would cost $50m.
Transit would be interested to see what happens with the promised $SOOm for road projects announced recently.
“Ideally we would build a by-pass around Rangiriri that goes around the pa site on the riverside,” he said.
To paraphrase Britney Spears...Oops I fucked up again
work on Highway one.
From NZ Farmers Weekly...
North Waikato farmers and contractors are far from impressed with road safety improvements to State Highway One.
The focus on preventing head-on car crashes had increased the danger for locals entering and leaving one of the busiest stretches of road in the country, Rangiriri farmer Trevor Simpson said.
SH1 between the Rangiriri Tavern and Hampton Downs has long been a notorious stretch of road for car ciashes.
As part of the highway upgrade, an expressway has been completed between Ohinewai and Hampton Downs.
The stretch around Ranginri now features wire rope as a median barrier and steel railing alongside the embankments.
“There has been a huge effort to prevent head-on collisions, but little effort to get vehicles waiting to get on to the highway safely, particularly heavy vehicles and tractors,” Simpson said.
Roading authority Transit NZ had failed to allow sufficient space for acceleration lanes at intersections, such as the Te Kauwhata junction and the Rangiriri bridge turn-off.
Farmers and contractors forced to use the road between jobs and land now face the ire of motorists slowed to their speed through a stretch of road which lacks any safe shoulder for slower traffic to drive upon.
There is now only one lane north, with no merging lane and little room for vehicles to get by in the event of a breakdown or accident.
Simpson said despite the $7m spent making the 8km stretch safer, Transit had failed to future proof the road and locals feel short changed.
“We were fully expecting to see a four lane highway route, and all we get is a stretch of road made narrower and more dangerous by median strips and poor planning.
“They may have eliminated head-
on collisions, but someone is going to get cleaned up in a side-on collision with a truck pulling out from the Rangiriri bridge on a foggy morning?’
Once turning traffic was committed to the main road, there were no “angel lanes” in the middle and little space for on-coming vehicles to avoid colliding, he said..
John Green runs an agricultural contracting business and said his tractor drivers received constant abuse from motorists frustrated at not being able to get past the machines through the stretch.
“I have seriously thought of putting some bumper stickers on the back of my machines saying “Don’t blame me, blame Transit”.
Two years ago at a local consultation meeting with Transit, Green told officials drainage sumps alongside the proposed road needed
to be set back from the shoulder to allow slower vehicles and cyclists to pull over without hitting them.
“They agreed it was a bloody good idea, and easily achieved. Well, here we are two years later and they have not listened. We have drain sumps you cannot drive over for fear of losing control, and cyclists don’t have a hope of getting around them either?’
The result is tractor drivers were forced to pull into the main traffic flow, bringing one of the country’s busiest stretches to a near standstill.
Green’s business also came to a near standstill during busy weekends when traffic volumes on Friday evenings and Sundays made travelling on and off SF11 risky and impractical.
The stretch of road was officially opened on June 28, and so far no major accidents have occurred.
However, both men doubt any real planning has allowed for handling an accident when and if it does occur.
“If there is an accident, there is no way the ambulance or fire brigade from Te Kauwhata will be able to get through, so assistanceis going to have to come from further north or south,” Simpson said.
The area has a high number of agricultural and heavy traffic movements locally, without including traffic going to and from Auckland.
Stock trucks use the Rangiriri bridge for access to much of the north-western Waikato.
Farm tractors and heavy traffic to quarries and Huntly power station make up the rest.
Difficulties getting onto SHI from the bridge now that any merging lane is gone mean trucks are oflen queued up over the bridge for long periods of time.
Transit New Zealand is disappointed at the reaction of North Waikato residents to recent road upgrades.
Regional operations manager Jan Cox said, he could understand locals were expecting a full four lane expressway, but the funds simply dis not extend that far.
“We feel we did make it clear through consultation what was going to be delivered. The road simply could not remain as it was given the number of head- on collisions. We have definitely made it safer.”
Cox maintained the road, despite wire rope and steel barriers, was wider than before.
But it was inevitable tractors would end up having to join the traffic flow, he said.
The aim of the road section was to prevent passing and therefore head-on collisions.
“Traffic volumes along that road flow are so large that perhaps there is no place for tractors and slow machinery, perhaps trucking tractors between jobs will have to be considered,” Cox said.
The turn-off from the Rangiriri bridge had always involved getting on to a busy stretch of road, and Cox said this too had been made safer.
He believed adequate space and lanes had been provided for drivers to accelerate on to the main highway from Te Kauwhata.
“It has always been a give way, so you have always had to pick a gap when you leave from there anyway.”
Cox admitted in an ideal world there would be an expressway right through the area, joining those already in place to the north and south.
Howerver, money and the historical sensitivity of the Rangiriri Pa site prevented Transit making any greater improvements to the stretch.
He estimated a full expressway would cost $50m.
Transit would be interested to see what happens with the promised $SOOm for road projects announced recently.
“Ideally we would build a by-pass around Rangiriri that goes around the pa site on the riverside,” he said.
To paraphrase Britney Spears...Oops I fucked up again