anyone heading to mine, watch Hart Rd!

**bugjuice** · 24th November 2005, 08:56

The council have kindly done some road repairs, then just piled a heap of stone chip on the repairs, just before a speed bump. So I wrote a quick email to convay my dismay. I'll let y'all know what they come back with if you like, just to see what 'level' the LTSA is at, at the moment..

My email to them:

Hi,

I'd wish to make a complaint about stone chip that's been thrown on some repairs of Hart Road, Takapuna, Auckland.

I ride a motorbike and was coming home the other night. Heading down the road as I normally do, coming to the second speed bump, I saw the stone chip as it just broke into the headlight beam on the road, which at first I mistook for dust/dirt of some sort. It wasn't until I was on it and braking for the speed bump, that I found it was stone chip an inch deep, which caused me to loose control of the bike, and barely got away without dropping it.

There is no signage around the road works to indicate the hazard on the road, and it's with sheer luck that it didn't come out worse. Please sign the road for other motorcyclists in the area, and please make sure that the repairs are safe to drive and ride on.

On a better note, I did notice some fresh tar seal a few months ago on Charles Street. Someone had the courtesy and brains to throw some sand on the black tar that fills the cracks as it was setting. Subsequently, it now provides some level of grip in the wet when pulling into the road (since it's on the junction). Is this a common practice? And if not, could it be considered? There's nothing worse than that black tar stuff in the wet, it's like riding on ice. Some parts of Auckland are terrible for it. Since it has to be there, this would really make a lot of road users happy for a couple of handfuls of sand..

Kind regards
Kit

their automated responce:

Thank you for your inquiry to Land Transport New Zealand. Your e-mail has been forwarded on to the appropriate section for reply to you as soon as possible. We endeavour to reply to all correspondence within 10 working days of receipt.

so we'll see...
not too arsey?

**juzzer** · 24th November 2005, 08:59

Well done son, will be interesting to see if they ever reply.....

**Devil** · 24th November 2005, 09:04

I'd expect a reply from LTSA, i've always had good quality answers from them. However, in this case, I wouldn't be surprised if you were asked to make your complaint to the council as it is them who is in charge of the contractors who do the repairs.

As for the tar snakes, wouldn't we all love an answer to that one.

**mv.senna** · 24th November 2005, 09:12

If you get fobbed off, there's a section in the HASE act which refers to creating new Hazards (for others) as a result of the work that you've done. while a public road isn't your workplace per say, it was the workplace of the contractors....hence the applicability of the Act.

Also in this case, since they've failed to implement any kind of Hazard management - i.e warning signs, detours etc...you could have a interesting time with this...

phew, gotta go have a lie-down now....brain overload.....

**bugjuice** · 24th November 2005, 09:17

yeah, well I thought about hitting up the council first, but since they are the ones who 'own the roads', I could just complain straight to the government agency.

A bit of poking around, I've just found an email for the North Shore 'road safety co-ordinator'.. think I should flick this email to him/her too? or just leave it at one email?

**ManDownUnder** · 24th November 2005, 09:18

ONya - push the point. They did something that nearly caused you to get hurt and your insurer to share the financial burden.

ACC would also have needed to pay out...

Maybe put them on copy? We all have a vested interest, but the council/LTSA doesn't have a financial one (not to mention they don't get to go to hospital)

I reckon you should tell them all... (insurer, ACC, Council etc). Put them all on copy to the same doc

**bugjuice** · 24th November 2005, 09:19

fuckit. sent to them too. Let the race begin!

**mv.senna** · 24th November 2005, 09:20

Originally Posted by bugjuice

yeah, well I thought about hitting up the council first, but since they are the ones who 'own the roads', I could just complain straight to the government agency.

A bit of poking around, I've just found an email for the North Shore 'road safety co-ordinator'.. think I should flick this email to him/her too? or just leave it at one email?

Road safety co-ordinator will act on something like this fairly promptly (one would hope) given that he/she will recognise the issues relating to the Hazard management failures....