Long, heavy loads worry Roads Board

Press, 18 February 1977, Page 4

Long, heavy loads worry Roads Board

Wellington reporter I Vehicles with loads too 'long and too heavy are travielling too fast on New Zealand’s roads and the National Roads Board is alarmed that it is only a matter of time before shocking accidents happen on densely-used roads. The board asked the Ministry of Transport to examine its policy and procedures governing the movement of "over-dimensioned” vehicles with a view to minimising the risk to the public, and will also seek the co-opera-tion of the heavy’ transport industry in avoiding illegal loading and speeding. Severe damage to overbridge structures on the Auckland southern motorway led the Government M.P. for Hamilton West (Mr M. J. Minogue) to lash out at the Ministry of Transport. "There seems to be no proper patrolling of this road, and the law is flouted all the time,” he said. “In a bad accident at a peak period this motorway could be like a slaughterhouse, and this should be prevented before it inevitably occurs.”

Other members of the board recounted their own experiences on different roads around the country, and the excessive loadings and speeds of heavy vehicles were considered specially dangerous.

•The 80 km/h law it a 'bad law because the public [obviously have no intention |of observing it," said the 'Mayor of Port Chalmers (Mr J. S. Thorn). “Reducing the 'legal speed to this point has | not saved a gallon of petrol 'because hardly anyone drives at that speed, and the legal [limit should be raised to 55 miles an hour so that motorists will obey the law. Those (few who obey it now are (placed at some risk.” | The Minister of Works (Mr (W. L. Young) said that road deaths were down, and the (reason given for this was the (slower speed of motorists, (but Mr R. L. Whyte, representing private motorists on the board, said that speeds (were not down so this could not be the reason death numbers were down. A strong denial of the claim that there was no effective enforcement of speed or load limits on the Auckland southern motorway was made by the Ministry’ of Transport’s Director of Road Transport (Mr M. W. Croy). There was a special enforcement unit on the motorway, but it was often unsafe to pull up drivers because there were so few parking bays. “I concede there are special problems with heavy vehicles all over New Zealand, because they are driven by professionals who know where traffic officers are likely to be,” he said. “They’ also have radios in the cab and can advise each other where our units are. “The private motorist does not help by flashing his lights to warn approaching drivers of a traffic officer ahead.” The board declined to pay I for damage on motorways caused by any vehicle that was either overloaded or not loaded properly. It said all damage should be paid for by the operators illegally loading the vehicles.