Auto Gossip

Press, 6 August 1976, Page 16

Auto Gossip

By

Russell Jones)

In many ways our roads are among the best in the world — from the point of view of quality, maintenance and scenic interest. But there is- a lot of work in keeping them up to the mark and the pressure on the National Roads Board may be too much to bear over the next, few years — we might see a fall in standards. The ordinary motorist is unlikely to be affected by the-state of the bridges on the highway between Christchurch and Picton, but if the road itself began to decline it could pose a serious problem. A road with unexpected potholes is dangerous, and could cause accidents, particularly at night. I'm sure the Roads Board is aware of the cost to the country of motor accidents, and weighs this against any cost paring it has to do. In Britain, county councils have been told to cut down on road maintenance, but there are fears there that this policy may be a hard one to reverse. Several counties have already been warned that if the highways fall into disrepair insurance companies may refuse to cover them against claims from motorists and pedestrians.

A senior traffic engineer

has said that several fatal road crashes were directly attributable to councils failing to trim the summer growth of trees and grass, thus allowing warning signs to be obscured. There’s a lesson to be learned there.