ROAD POLICY CRITICISED

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31520, 7 November 1967, Page 28

ROAD POLICY CRITICISED

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 6. The apparent practice of scaling down loads to suit weak roads instead of making the maximum use of all available motor power by building stronger roads, was criticised today by Sir William Stevenson.

By allowing such a practice to continue, New Zealand was failing to reduce transport costs, which already absorbed 30 per cent of the national income, he told a conference on loading in Wellington. “The economics of New Zealand should not support this heavy drain on our finances,” Sir William Stevenson said. “Roading' authorities have a duty to design stronger pavements, particularly on main traffic routes.” He said he considered the design of main roads was lacking. This did not mean that one design standard could be set for all areas of the country, because it was quite obvious some districts had to be treated separately, according to local soils and materials available. “Failures of our motorways are not only costly, but use up the finance that should be available for new works,” he said.

The conference, arranged by a leading Canadian asphalt technologist (Dr N. W. McLeod), was opened by the president of the N.Z. Institu tion of Engineers (Mr D. Tonkin).