Bl***dy crap NZ roads

[p.dath]

Tarmacadam is the answer, its used everywhere else in the world even the hot earopean countrie
who's summers make nz's look tame.
It doesnt melt, it doesnt crack and it doesnt need fecking loose stone chips scattered all over it twice a year.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarmac

The Macadam construction process also became quickly obsolete due to its high manual labour requirement

[p.dath]

My father worked for Bitumix in the '50's,and an uncle for NZ Roadmakers at the same time....the talk was all the same,it's the same technology today...no advancement at all.

Perhaps not in NZ ... I've just been reading up on the subject. It's actually quite a complex science, and many countries have done many experiments. One of the tough issues is the formula needs to vary quite a bit from country to country because the conditions are so different.

[swbarnett]

Why are our roads built so poorly?

Unfortunately, there is a very simple answer to this.

New Zealand has mediocre roads. Large country (268,021 square km) relative to a small population (4,350,377) and we travel a lot (also, we allow large trucks to chew up the roads).

Switzerland has immaculate roads. Small country (41,284 suare km) relative to larger population (7,771,600) and they don't travel much (also, no large trucks).

We just can't afford to maintain all of our roads to the same standard.

[sidecar bob]

Sounds like you should stop bleating & ride to the conditions.
Alternatively, you could go back to where you came from.
Why do people come here & then moan about it. You can still get a plane out of here.

[Movistar]

Sounds like you should stop bleating & ride to the conditions.
Alternatively, you could go back to where you came from.
Why do people come here & then moan about it. You can still get a plane out of here.

Nuff said really...

The best thing to do is put the bike away until winter. Best time of year to enjoy a day in the saddle (and on the bike...)

[pc220]

You would think that the money spent to reseal and patch certain roads every six months would be better spent by building that stretch of road using the expensive materials and techniques, that would only require maintenace on a bi annual basis. I travel HWY 1 daily between Putaruru and Atiamuri and there are sections that seem to either get ripped up or sprinkled with chip every few months. Usually patch repairs only last a few weeks to a month before returning back to their origanal condition.

[diggyduo]

wrong post- ignore

[yachtie10]

Sounds like you should stop bleating & ride to the conditions.
Alternatively, you could go back to where you came from.
Why do people come here & then moan about it. You can still get a plane out of here.

what an shitty post
Ive been here all my life and think the roads are shit (and yes we should ride to the conditions)
Can nobody discuss an issue on a forum without some one complaining about it. dont like the post dont read the thread

[diggyduo]

Sounds like you should stop bleating & ride to the conditions.
Alternatively, you could go back to where you came from.
Why do people come here & then moan about it. You can still get a plane out of here.

Interesting attitude to immigrants Side Car Peters. Constructive input is always appreciated thanks. I'm actually a kiwi, have been all my life as far as I know.

I was using texas as a comparison - the climate is hotter in summer, cooler in winter, yet the roads are unaffected. No bleeding, no bits of slimy tar. This tells me it is not beyond the realms of possibilty to construct such roads. And the ecomony in Texas is not going Gang busters, it is not like they have a lot of money to spread around. As I said in my first post, I don't think people should complain unless they are prepared to put their pen where their mouth is, which I intend to do.

People are correct when they say to ride to the conditions, but as Ixion has stated (someone that obviously has more time in the seat than me), the problem is, it is very unpredictable unless you ride the road everyday and know where the nasty bits are.

Most probably there will be costs involved in laying roads with decent material that can withstand our 'scorching' summers. Perhaps it can be offset by reduced ACC and insurance claims? What is the financial cost of a life? Surely there is also an ethical requirement to provide a safe surface for all motorists to use under normal climactic conditions (not talking heat waves). When I started this thread, I hadn't noticed one in a similar vein begun by TOTO. It is well worth reading – it has eye witness accounts and good discussion by experienced people. I seem to recall avid discussion about a slick corner caused by poor constuction near peak rd on SH16 last summer. Can't remember all the details but do remember it had affected several people both in the pocket and in skin and bones as a result.

One option is to happily accept the roads as they are and rely on vigilance, local knowledge, experience etc during summer to avoid incident or accident. I have no issues with this path, it is what I have done for 18 yrs after all. The other is to invest some time into the issue, formulate a reason change, and present it to those that hold the purse strings and talking sticks. Of course, it will likely result in nothing in the short term, but it can only be good to add to the squeaky wheel.

There are no high-horses involved here, it is merely a situation I think is worth improving.

[sidecar bob]

what an shitty post
Ive been here all my life and think the roads are shit (and yes we should ride to the conditions)
Can nobody discuss an issue on a forum without some one complaining about it. dont like the post dont read the thread

Yeah, sweet as. Im sure riding in 40 degrees in Texas is a bloody hoot too.
Complaining dosent fix a thing.

[jafar]

There are a few things different between TX & NZ, in Texas they build roads with a concrete base & then put the seal on top while in NZ they use basecourse & roll it over until it's hard & seal over that.
The next thing is that if the road in texas is found to be substandard & the cause of accidents someone can be sued, in NZ we have ACC & can't sue the roading company or the council for damages done due to poor road maintenance.
In both TX & NZ the bitumen comes from the same place,(Texas City) ours is shipped over in bulk from the manufacturers & is often substandard or rejected material that the manufacturers sell off cheap. We are getting what we are paying for, substandard bitumen on a dirt base with minimal strength, it's cheap & nasty but with our population base & the thousands of kilometers of roading that it is perceived we need it is how it is done.
If we want better roads built to the standard of Texas roads the cost per metre is a lot higher for the construction but I suspect that the costs over the lifetime of the road will be a little less. A case in point is the road outside Sylvia Park, Mt Wellington. That particular stretch of road was built by the Americans during the 2nd world war to their specifications, it has a CONCRETE BASE & never has there been a pothole in it. Same can't be said for the rest of our roading network.

[Mudfart]

good excuse to stay in the fast lane. I rode to hamiltron today, and found because the heavy vehicles are mostly in slow lanes the fast lanes hold up way better.

[mctshirt]

Why are our roads built so poorly? The very time the weather heats up into perfect biking weather, our roads turn into treacle with gravel on top, mixed in with flat shiney bits that are slippery as hell. It's not like we are in a heat wave. It seems to happen as soon as the temperature heats up above 24 degrees.

It hasn't got hot enough long enough for the roads to melt round here. Count yourself lucky you've got good riding weather.

[Elysium]

The ancient Romans built better roads.

[Bonez]

There's perfectly good roads without any seal on them. Mind you we are spoilt down here cause there's miles of perfectly good sealed backroads as well.