New "cheese cutter" Stokes Valley to Silverstream

**Drum** · 8th June 2006, 19:57

Well this is gonna piss a few people off!

Popped up to The Mill this evening from the valley and what do you know?
They're installing a new cheese cutter on the Eastern Hutt Road, between vegas and the Silverstream tip turnoff!

Now, I have defended these barriers in the past, because even though they give me the heebies when I ride past them, I am aware through my job of the lives that they have saved - and to date I dont know of any bikers hitting one of them (at least in NZ).

However, this just doesnt seem like the right location to me. For starters I like to overtake cagers on this stretch of road. And secondly, these barriers deflect up to a couple of meters when hit, so the car would still be well within the oncoming lane anyway - its just a waste of money!

Anyone aware of crash problems on this stretch of road that would warrant the expenditure of my hard earned rates?

**Uncle B** · 8th June 2006, 20:24

I was bummed when I saw what they were up to.......No more passing cagers going 60.

**sunhuntin** · 8th June 2006, 20:50

bad idea anywhere....damned things!

theyve got a few bits of it up my way now....it goes , road, cheese cutter, meter of grass, farm fence.

i dont mind it if its in a place its needed, like the coastal bit of highway into wellington. but then i notice when driving from porirua to the hutt over that hill [cant recall its name, starts with f i think] theyve got nothing to stop a drop straight into the water, and that to me is a more dangerous bit of road.

**Madness** · 8th June 2006, 21:01

I've seen the odd cage or two go into the Pauatahanui Inlet on Paremata Road along the bottom of Whitby. A moment's innatention can lead to several hours of extraction from the estuary mud.

I think the Cheese Cutters will eventually disect our main arterial routes nationwide, like a braided steel ribbon cris-crossing our fair land. Overtaking will eventually be something we tell our grandchildren about from the good ole days.

Just wait til they start drilling the holes in the centreline on the Taka's....

**Drum** · 8th June 2006, 21:06

Originally Posted by MAXIMUSDEMERITUS

........Just wait til they start drilling the holes in the centreline on the Taka's....

A scary thought indeed! Luckily these barriers cant be installed on very tight radius curves.

**Madness** · 8th June 2006, 21:13

Originally Posted by Drum

Luckily these barriers cant be installed on very tight radius curves.

Yet!

10 FC

**Insanity_rules** · 9th June 2006, 06:53

Not to mention I ride that road daily and the amount of intellectual giants that knock cones into the middle of the lane while they're constructing that wonderful piece of technology (sic).

Well better start looking forward to not being able to pass those brain trust members that think the limit on that stretch is 50ks and watching for flying wire from mensa candidates hitting the barrier in opposite lane.

Wonder who we all have to thank for that monumental decision.

**Uncle B** · 9th June 2006, 07:59

Originally Posted by MAXIMUSDEMERITUS

Just wait til they start drilling the holes in the centreline on the Taka's....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Don't even think that

Shame on you

**James Deuce** · 9th June 2006, 08:10

[quote=sunhuntin]i dont mind it if its in a place its needed, like the coastal bit of highway into wellington[/quote=sunhuntin]

It wasn't needed there either. Every accident on that stretch of road is down to incompetence or inattention. Police should be allowed to shoot people at the scene if they've caused an accident through either of those factors. Very few "accidents" have anything to do with road condition, weather, or mechanical failure.

Drum has a point that rings with "truth". However, no one wants truth, they want the gubmint to be seen to be doing something.

The only place I've seen that it is "needed" is the shaded stretch of SH2 between Maungaraki and Melling. My wife had two "offs" before the barrier went up, in a car what's more, when she hit black ice returning from a night shift. Both times she ended up leaping over the median strip, spinning a couple of times and coming to rest facing the wrong way in the Northern lane.

**James Deuce** · 9th June 2006, 08:14

Originally Posted by Drum

A scary thought indeed! Luckily these barriers cant be installed on very tight radius curves.

They'll use double sided armco for those corners.

As much as Max was making a joke, I can't help but think that they'll do that for "traffic calming". It would close "the Hill" to trucks though.