Tar melt warning

[MSTRS:Me]

Oh. Well, better not use that to hold the chip on the roads....

[Ixion]

Interesting paper on this here

Basically, it's not the heat, it's cheap crap roads.

Another interesting figure. Because chip seal has a short life, it needs constant resurfacing which further reduces life. The life of a chip seal is about 3 to 8 years.

Yet, if you go to many parts of Auckland where an older main road is being dug up (to relay the chip seal!), you will see, once the chip seal is scraped off, that underneath is the original concrete road. Put in in the 1930s usually. And always still in excellent condition.

So , 8 years (max) or 80 years (and still good to go). I wonder which one is REALLY cheaper.

[spookytooth]

personally i think some kind of build responsibility from the contractors is needed.You priced the job you did the job go fix the fucing thing at your cost would go along way to better roads

[imdying]

Basically, it's not the heat, it's cheap crap roads.

No no, it's global warming... the quality of construction of the roads in NZ was fine till the cows started farting.

[tri boy]

Just returned from a quick drive into Hamilton. Stopped at the drive entrance/letterbox. This area was resealed about 8weeks ago, as Te Kowhai rd has alot of tip truck movement from the sand quarry about 10k away.

The tar is oozing out from below the chip,(which can be flicked away easily with a twig), and is creeping down the drive entance which has about a 3 degree incline.

Nice Work Transit!

Grow some balls, and thump the transport ministers desk, until he either agrees to decent sealing budgets, or has a heart attack from the stress.

[Wasp27]

personally i think some kind of build responsibility from the contractors is needed.You priced the job you did the job go fix the fucing thing at your cost would go along way to better roads

Just talked to the Roading Contractors that were resealing our road yesterday....he said that they knew it was crap seal but that was the spec they were told to use....apparently it's all layed down in the tender...."It's not our fault.... it's what they want" so I guess you need to look higher up the ladder To give you an idea of how effective a seal it is....we had our driveway at work (HB Airport) Tarsealed with the same chip seal for the first time just before xmas and 2 weeks later the couch had popped straight through it and was merrily spreading itself across the driveway. Might as well have painted it with Tire Paint for all the good it done Does the phrase 'Contributory Negligence' ring any bells

[Bikernereid]

Roads round NP and Mt Messenger were not fun at all, well unless you are into that which I was not!!

came through highway 43 on Thursday was alot of melt mid arvo and yep it was slippery

[xwhatsit]

How do the nice tarmac bitumen roads last comparably?

[sAsLEX]

Does the phrase 'Contributory Negligence' ring any bells

Especially when they just go covering the melt in loose gravel with out signposting it

[Blue Velvet]

Especially when they just go covering the melt in loose gravel with out signposting it

Yeah... like the Desert Road last Friday night...

[jrandom]

Roads round NP and Mt Messenger were not fun at all...

I did Mt Messenger on Betty in heavy rain on Christmas day last year on my way to Wanganui with kiwifruit.

The shiny tarry bits on the southern side required riding over at very little beyond walking pace.

[oldrider]

This summer is getting to be more like they used to be when we were kids.

Summers have been colder of late.

They are just getting back to normal now and all their cheap jack road works are starting to show up all over the place.

Zadok_oz and I have compared temperatures in Perth and NZ and road conditions (tar melting) before. (Talking to each other on Skype)

Our (NZ) tar melts at very low temps compared to theirs! (Aus)

NZ is just mediocrity driven, right from the top!

Any little applied pressure and all their weaknesses are exposed and show up! John.

[Grub]

... the quality of construction of the roads in NZ was fine till the cows started farting.

I knew it was all Cowpoos fault! He has a lot to answer for that dude does

[BIGBOSSMAN]

This summer is getting to be more like they used to be when we were kids.

Summers have been colder of late.

They are just getting back to normal now and all their cheap jack road works are starting to show up all over the place.

Our (NZ) tar melts at very low temps compared to theirs! (Aus)

NZ is just mediocrity driven, right from the top!

Any little applied pressure and all their weaknesses are exposed and show up! John.

Yes I remember those blazing hot summers, the Coppertone girl and Crazy Joe's!
Why do the monkeys that run this place continue to screw us with poor quality infrastructure? It's bloody third world, and I'm sick of it. I did a Coro loop in November and the road from Hikuai to Kopu was a melting disaster area then, heaven knows what it's been like in the past couple of weeks.
Would be safer to coat them with Whittakers chocolate!

It's depressingly amazing

[OV Lander]

Tar melt ruined a good ride over the Takaka hill for me last week too. In parts you could not see any chip as it had all bee 'absorbed' into the bitumen - so much so that having tip toed down the hill I came across a gritting truck working his way up the other side.