ROAD MAINTENANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20171, 4 February 1929, Page 8

ROAD MAINTENANCE.

The wrecking of a motor-car near Drury, which was attributed to the vehicle skidding on loose metal in passing another, is an illustration of the dangerous conditions that still exist on long sections of the Great South Road in spite of many public protests. They were supported by many motorists who traversed the road during the holiday season, and though traffic has now returned to its normal volume it is so constantly heavy that the need for safe travelling conditions is imperative. Claims may be made that the permanent surfacing of the highway is being pressed forward as rapidly as possible, but the lower the limit that is placed on the speed of these works, the more distant is the prospect of the programme being completed. In the meantime, the traffic has to rely on the existing structure ahead of the new work, and there is an incontestable right on the part of the public to demand that the road shall be maintained in a safe condition. Because traffic is so heavy that it cannot be concentrated on half the width of the road, the authorities insist on diverting it round sections under construction, however inconvenient and hazardous the deviations may be. \ct the lack of adequate provision for maintenance on other sections denies motorists reasonably safe conditions for travelling along them. It may be argued that it is the density of the traffic that causes the accumulation of loose metal or such disintegration of the surface that more metal must be spread over it to minimise the damage. But that traffic is heavily taxed to pay for the maintenance of the road : the greater its volume, the more taxation it represents. It is notorious that taxation is being paid faster than it is spent, so that there cannot be any excuse of lack of funds. In fact, large subsidies for maintenance are being paid, and it is the duty of the Highways Board to insist that those subsidies are earned by preserving the highway in a ptoper condition for the traffic it must carry. A heap of loose metal, uniform in colouring with ' the general surface, is a murderous trap, as impossible of detection as if it had been deliberately camou llagcd. The danger is perhaps greatest for motor-cycles, but it is 0110 of the most serious risks for all classes of motor vehicles, exposing them equally to perils to life and property that should not be encountered on a main highway.