M.P.s accused of ignoring road toll

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 39

M.P.s accused of ignoring road toll

PA Napier The high road toll needs to be turned into a political issue if anything is to be done to restrict the carnage, according to the president of the New Zealand Traffic Institute. Speaking at the opening of the institute’s fortieth annual conference in Napier, the president, Mr Gordon Barnaby, criticised members of Parliament for ignoring the rising road toll because it was no threat to their seats in the House. “The fact is that the road toll, whilst a matter of genuine public concern, is not seen as a true political issue,” said Mr Barnaby, of Auckland. “Various Ministers of Transport have, on taking office, promised much yet delivered little, the inevitable reason being cost in dollar terms. “What price can anyone place on lost lives and ruined life-styles? Seats in Parliament are not won or lost on road safety and, therefore, it is not a threat to a Government. “A rare exception was the recent march up

Queen Street to protest against the decision of the National Roads Board, whose chairman is the Minister of Transport, to defer the construction of median barriers (on Auckland’s motorway).” The speed with which the Roads Board decision was reversed proved that when a road safety issue did truly become political, politicians were not slow to perceive the danger and would react in a positive way. “The members of this institute must work together and gain the support of others in the community to become a force that must be reckoned with. “Over the years the institute has endeavoured to work with the Government to improve not only the engineering features of our roading network but to support the educational programmes and to ensure that enforcement, whether by the Ministry or local authorities, is reasonable, fair, compatible and effective in improving safety on our roads.”