Liability for stock effluent (cow/sheep shit on the road)?

[McJim]

I have, on more that one occasion while riding around New Zealand beeen sprayed with shit by stock trucks, had arse puckering moments on corners due to cow shit from stock trucks and experienced various other problems due to shit being in the wrong place. I just though it was part of the culture and economy of New Zealand and thought the good ol' Kiwi "get over it" (i.e. we know there's a problem but we're gonna do fuck all about it....a bit like Otago Uni) was to be applied liberally in these cases.

I have recently found out otherwise. If you can get the number plate of a Stock Truck spreading potential death (cow shit) liberally on corners you can contact your local Regional Council with the details and lodge a complaint - you can ask them to keep you appraised of what they do. There are some hefty fines that can be thrown at the responsible parties to make them stop wanting to do it. I firmly believe that any complaints I have will be followed through in Southland and hope that other Regional Councils around the country will look after bikers who raise these instances as issues within their region.

[Mom]

I have complained to my MP for years about this very thing. It is dangerous, and foul to ride on, to say nothing of the damage it actually does to the road surface. Yet to actually be in a position to catch a truck in the act at a time I can take a rego though.

[Skyryder]

I have, on more that one occasion while riding around New Zealand beeen sprayed with shit by stock trucks, had arse puckering moments on corners due to cow shit from stock trucks and experienced various other problems due to shit being in the wrong place. I just though it was part of the culture and economy of New Zealand and thought the good ol' Kiwi "get over it" (i.e. we know there's a problem but we're gonna do fuck all about it....a bit like Otago Uni) was to be applied liberally in these cases.

I have recently found out otherwise. If you can get the number plate of a Stock Truck spreading potential death (cow shit) liberally on corners you can contact your local Regional Council with the details and lodge a complaint - you can ask them to keep you appraised of what they do. There are some hefty fines that can be thrown at the responsible parties to make them stop wanting to do it. I firmly believe that any complaints I have will be followed through in Southland and hope that other Regional Councils around the country will look after bikers who raise these instances as issues within their region.

Don't want to knock you on this but I'm thinking ya pushing 'shit' up hill.

Most Regional Councils are controlled by farm and ag interests. The law is on their books but I doubt if they will ever do much about it. Still you do make a valid point.


Skyryder

[McJim]

I agree that they are difficult to catch if you are tying to target it but motorcyclists are in a very good position to catch them since we travel at a higher average speed than the trucks AND can overtake them at will (hence not getting stuck behind a truck like a car does) I have seen many trucks spiling green smelly goo out the side and have been in a position to take the rego - if more of us do this more of them will have to do something about it.

Things being done in Southland for example are more effluent transfer stations and truck washes and there is talk of cattle having an enforced 12 hour stand down from 'green feed' before transportation.

Also we, as motorcyclists, are far more likely to get really pissed of when we witness it coz it has such serious ramifications for us.

[Hitcher]

Stock trucks are one thing. Dairy farmers who regularly traipse their livestock across the highway without cleaning off the resulting shit are another. Cow piss eats away at bitumen as well. Highway 45 is shocking for this. There are also a couple of dairy farms at Hastwell where the stock crossing is right on the apex of corners. Just lovely.

On state highways I reckon that stock underpasses should be mandatory.

[Skyryder]

Stock trucks are one thing. Dairy farmers who regularly traipse their livestock across the highway without cleaning off the resulting shit are another. Cow piss eats away at bitumen as well. Highway 45 is shocking for this. There are also a couple of dairy farms at Hastwell where the stock crossing is right on the apex of corners. Just lovely.

On state highways I reckon that stock underpasses should be mandatory.

Yep I like the underpass idea. A stick of jelly at each end at milking time now that would be my idea of fun.

Skyryder

[pete376403]

Stock trucks are one thing. Dairy farmers who regularly traipse their livestock across the highway without cleaning off the resulting shit are another. Cow piss eats away at bitumen as well. Highway 45 is shocking for this. There are also a couple of dairy farms at Hastwell where the stock crossing is right on the apex of corners. Just lovely.

On state highways I reckon that stock underpasses should be mandatory.

Encountered that on the control gate bridge on the road around lake Waiararapa. Bridge was totally slick with cowshit, about 50mm deep. I slid into the back of another bike, got a $150 fine for being unable to stop (the other guys ankle was banged up a bit so the ambulance was called. Cops attended.
Incidentally not long after that a cop car slid out of control on cowshit and hit a civilian car (somewhere up near Hamilton IIRC). Civvy was injured. Police Coverup Authority said it was completely unavoidable, no prosecution for the cop driver.

[scumdog]

Don't want to knock you on this but I'm thinking ya pushing 'shit' up hill.

Most Regional Councils are controlled by farm and ag interests. The law is on their books but I doubt if they will ever do much about it. Still you do make a valid point.


Skyryder

Yup, legislation tweaked to suit the cockies (money earner for the country donchaknow?) - dropping effluent off a truck doesn't count like dropping logs off a truck - go figure....

[portokiwi]

I know in Christchurch the CRC didnt want to hear anything about it.
Use to live near a courner where the stock trucks use to turn to go to the local freezing works. Allways crap on the courner. We had seen so many accidents with kids on push bikes falling off....... Not good when it joins the main road.
Reported it many times but it fell on deaf ears in the CRC.

[Slyer]

Was just riding down SH16 from wellsford, must have been 20-30 patches of cow shit along the way. Could still smell it...

[scumdog]

Was just riding down SH16 from wellsford, must have been 20-30 patches of cow shit along the way. Could still smell it...

Gives you great 'freckles' too if you wear an open-faced helmet...

[Slyer]

It was all dried out by then, but the patches were around 5 metres long or more.

[Noidy]

Is spilling effluient not classed as an insecure load?

[scumdog]

Is spilling effluient not classed as an insecure load?

As per my first post on this thread, No.

[Okey Dokey]

Don't want to knock you on this but I'm thinking ya pushing 'shit' up hill.

Most Regional Councils are controlled by farm and ag interests. The law is on their books but I doubt if they will ever do much about it. Still you do make a valid point.


Skyryder

You are dreaming, mate. The two councils I have lived under in NZ are both heavily weighted by councillor numbers (population based) in favour of urbanites, despite collecting most of their rates from rural people.

When legislation was passed that effluent tanks had to be on stock trucks, about 10 years ago, councils agreed to put in dump sites. Southland has only just completed it's FIRST one! With two more due to be built.