Police traffic enforcement inconsistency?

[awayatc]

People died more often

People died more often...?

Dying may for some not be soon enough,

but once is always often enough....................

[Ocean1]

Yup, agree with most of that too.

However, one example of a divergent opinion.

Would the Auckland Harbour Bridge be safer without the movable barrier preventing head on crashes? A bloke called Hei Hei killed some folk in 1989 be crossing the centreline and hitting an oncoming car. No barrier back then. The only thing separating the opposing traffic was a white painted line between lanes. Biggest issue is that it went from 5 lanes south in the morning to 5 lanes north in the afternoon, indicated by overhead gantry lamps.

People died more often, despite it being more dangerous. What happened to risk compensation there?

Do you suppose a quantifiable, constant human attribute simply disappeared in that particular case? If you reviewed footage from the cameras up there with the lights on that bridge I wonder if you'd find drivers paid a deal more attention to their driving line when the barrier wasn't there.

Isn't it more likely that that's a good example of changing the environment to minimise the consequences of normal behaviour? And let's face it people died more often then not because they obeyed road rules any more than the current crop, it was mostly about advanced vehicle design which started rolling out around that time, driven by litigation of manufacturer in the US and the good old EU standards machine.

Barriers are great, but we can't afford to put them everywhere, (and let's not get into the likely consequences of introducing wire rope barriers to the environment for bikers), but surely to god we can afford to lose some signs, particularly the ones on the outside of corners, right where the results of any loss of control is going to meet those consequences.

In fact let's get rid of all of them, the evidence is that would produce fewer accidents, and there's a metric shitload of them, on a 10 minute trip from Pauatahanui to Upper Hutt I once gave up counting at 180 odd, that's around one every 3 seconds, requiring far more attention than any road user should be spending on not driving. Tell your engineers to chop the lot down.

[Digitdion]

---

I can't rule out that some Mufti might have issued a fatwa against you, but we are trying to get people to slow down, so that when they hit you, they don't hit you so hard. Wouldn't you rather they hit you at a lower speed?

No I would rather not be hit! Thank you very much.

If the Govt was serious about this logic they could very easily just electronically govern every vehicle so it can not speed!

No matter what accidents will always happen. Shit happens. We all realist this in life. It's taking the piss to be so bloody anal about it. Anal as in being so tough on speeding.
There should be a 10 % leighway giving.
Hay, but what do I know?
So may think there should be more lee way?

[swarfie]

surely to god we can afford to lose some signs, particularly the ones on the outside of corners, right where the results of any loss of control is going to meet those consequences.

In fact let's get rid of all of them, the evidence is that would produce fewer accidents, and there's a metric shitload of them, on a 10 minute trip from Pauatahanui to Upper Hutt I once gave up counting at 180 odd, that's around one every 3 seconds, requiring far more attention than any road user should be spending on not driving. Tell your engineers to chop the lot down.

You think NZ is bad. I've done a bit of riding in Oz and they're way worse than Kiwiland. In Queensland in particular I would hazard there'd been a few back handers dished out to politicians by some signwriters to up the anti on road signs. Every 'slight' rise in the road over there commands a "Crest" sign. That one makes me laugh as it's predominantly a flat country and you can usually see over their "crests" anyway. I have to agree though, there shouldn't be so many signs and what about all those reflective arrows on just about every bloody corner on our country roads...they nearly blind you as you approach them! Chainsaw the lot I say...it's

[buggerit]

Instead of emotive waste of money speed kills ads, lets have some actual useful incar seat of the pants footage of the correct way to negotiate a roundabout or the correct way to approach a corner etc, it is more likely to improve the general driving standard and L platers
would have been exposed to some useful info long before they get behind the wheel(we all know what sponges kids are).

[Tazz]

they nearly blind you as you approach them! Chainsaw the lot I say...it's

Agree some of them are over the top, but man I love those things at night in thick fog!

[Swoop]

Risk homeostasis.

That really sounds like an episode of Red Dwarf.

The safer people feel the less attention they pay to immediate risk.

This is a quantifiable reason to ban anything resembling Hi-Viz.

[R650R]

People died more often, despite it being more dangerous. What happened to risk compensation there?

While these fancy ideas might work in a well educated country with intelligent people, we have to suck it up and admit where we are at in NZ.
Really the majority here are centreline hugging rednecks who feel its their right to be as stupid/dangerous as desired.
The biggest thing the govt can do really is nothing.
As the biggest lifesaver now is congestion and that will get worse as our population continues to expand and infrastructure expansion falls behind.
In ten years time our roads will be so clogged that exceeding 100k will just be a dream of days gone by.

[rastuscat]

While these fancy ideas might work in a well educated country with intelligent people, we have to suck it up and admit where we are at in NZ.
Really the majority here are centreline hugging rednecks who feel its their right to be as stupid/dangerous as desired.
The biggest thing the govt can do really is nothing.
As the biggest lifesaver now is congestion and that will get worse as our population continues to expand and infrastructure expansion falls behind.
In ten years time our roads will be so clogged that exceeding 100k will just be a dream of days gone by.

The South Island is motorcycling heaven. Bugger all population is the key. I can't even see that changing much in 10 years.

[Ocean1]

You might have noticed the extraordinarily high skill level apparent here, most noticeable in the numerous and protracted criticisms of your average Kiwi driver/rider.

While these fancy ideas might work in a well educated country with intelligent people, we have to suck it up and admit where we are at in NZ.
Really the majority here are centreline hugging rednecks who feel its their right to be as stupid/dangerous as desired.

Difficult to describe the effect any better really.

It's bullshit, of course. But more to the point it's irrelevant, what is relevant is the single fact that fewer rules produce fewer accidents.

[Ocean1]

You think NZ is bad. I've done a bit of riding in Oz and they're way worse than Kiwiland. In Queensland in particular I would hazard there'd been a few back handers dished out to politicians by some signwriters to up the anti on road signs. Every 'slight' rise in the road over there commands a "Crest" sign. That one makes me laugh as it's predominantly a flat country and you can usually see over their "crests" anyway. I have to agree though, there shouldn't be so many signs and what about all those reflective arrows on just about every bloody corner on our country roads...they nearly blind you as you approach them! Chainsaw the lot I say...it's

Aye. I ride there occasionally too. In some ways the fact that the signage is slightly different just highlights the absurdity, at home you tend to ignore it a lot more I guess.

And apparently the blinding arrows thing is caused by old age. Slowing of the eye muscles reaction time etc. All the more reason to take all you old bastards licences away.

[Ocean1]

The South Island is motorcycling heaven. Bugger all population is the key. I can't even see that changing much in 10 years.

I'll be giving it a good nudge come late November mate. Any particular area I should refrain from populating?

[R650R]

The South Island is motorcycling heaven. Bugger all population is the key. I can't even see that changing much in 10 years.

Now there's some homework for you.
North island vs South Island road safety, numbers adjusted for crashes per km travelled, tweak the south numbers for less junction risk exposure.
Should be left with numbers for congested road network vs uncongested.
Results would be interesting, SI still seems to make six o clock news with road tragedy often enough...

[FJRider]

Results would be interesting, SI still seems to make six o clock news with road tragedy often enough...

1. Deserted roads make people feel safer traveling at higher speeds .... SO ... they travel faster.

2. The south island has more "Fuck it up and you're dead" roads ... no help needed from others.

Combine those two points (alone) ... people die.

One stupid mistake is all it takes.

Too many people die ... for stupid reasons .... but they're still just as DEAD.




The real tragedy is ... MORE will die .. !!! for the same reasons.





It can't happen to ME ... or YOU.



Right .. ???

[Berries]

Results would be interesting, SI still seems to make six o clock news with road tragedy often enough...

To be fair we* don't have the paedophiles, P houses and politicians that they have in the north island, so our news is not as exciting.





*Obviously I don't include Christchurch in this statement.