The King's Highway

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 5, Issue 1, 1 July 1926, Page 49

The King's Highway

'"to /Ty engineers," said Napoleon, My engineers," said over which "built the roads over which others rode to glory." He was thinking in terms of war. But to us thinking in terms of peace, these words have a tremendous presentday significance. Our engineers arc building the roads over which the nation is riding on to pleasure and happiness, and to new social and workaday opportunity. Unfortunately the engineers in New Zealand have no Napoleon behind them, and their task is slowed down and made a patchwork of loose ends by the timidity of politicians who much prefer doddering on in a " rut' to clearing the way for the roadmakers. There is a very striking illustration in the vicinity of Wellington of the way the making of good motor roads is delayed by the innumerable weak local bodies with which this country is afflicted. On the outskirts of the city is Makara County, a tiny area which some years back cut itself out of Hutt County in order to gain a bigger Government subsidy. The stupid legislation about subsidies which caused Makara to cut the painter also caused the needless and wasteful subdivision of scores of other counties all over the Dominion.

Well, there is Makara to-day with twelve miles of main highway which was, until a year or two ago, in a shocking state, and on which this tiny county had no money to spend. The motorists bumped" and " cursed their way over its main road, and the county council grumbled about "foreign" traffic that paid no rates knocking its roads about, and vowed that it was not going to waste its money on outsiders. A year or two back the Main ■**■ Highways Board came along and recognised the hopelessness of this pocket-handkerchief county's position—it is like those microscopic German principalities that are flooded every time a house-frau throws out a pail of water. The Highways Board, not having the power to do the necessary thing, and wipe out all the miniature counties without any financial legs to support their

zA <Motoring Gmiserie —-.By Rancho

self-importance, did the next best thing. It took over five out of the twelve miles of main highway in the county as a Government road. And what I really started out to write about was the condition of this five miles of road as compared with the other seven miles that the county maintains. ; I me Makara County's highway is •*• that section of the WellingtonPalmerston road extending from Ngahauranga, four miles out of Wellington, to Paremata. The five miles portion taken over by the Highways Board runs from Paremata southward. Of it, three miles, winding around the shorts of Porirua Harbour, has been reconstructed, widened, and generally improved. But the remaining two miles, from Porirua southwards, has so far simply been maintained. The condition of this two miles is so

excellent and in such marked contrast to the adjoining portion of the highway maintained by the county council, that one naturally wants to know how much more costly it is to maintain. To this the surprising answer is that the good road is costing about half what the. bad road costs! ' • Tt sounds incredible, especially to -"- one who has ridden over the road. But there it is, the Government has had its two miles in hand for just a year now, and the cost is £343—or £l7l 10s per mile. Makara's seven miles is costing £2BOO, or about £370 per mile per annum. It is stated that the stone put on the Government road—it is stone, and not the "rotten rock" used by Makara—is brought from a private quarry, and freight, and every item that the county would have to bear, is included in the Government £l7l 10s. The only things that make the comparison unfair to the county are that the traffic is heavier on about half of its seven miles than it is on the Government two miles, and also that the Government two miles is in country more open to the sun, and thus not so liable to crack up under winter traffic. Neither of these things, however, suffice to account

for £l7l 10s providing an excellent road in one case, and £370 providing a vile, bumpy, pot-holed road in, the other.

'“phis very striking illustration -*■ shows all motorists how much depends on the way things are done in road-making. There is not the least shadow of doubt in the world that a large number of New Zealand’s county councils have an immense capacity for doing their roadmaking in the wrong way; and are at great pains and labour to throw away not only their own ratepayers’ money, but all they can extract in the way of motor taxation. Instead of learning how to do the job, they much prefer to hold meetings and conferences and scream for more taxation to be imposed on the backs of motor vehicle owners, as if running a car isn’t quite expensive enough as it is, what with dear

rubber and petrol soaring up. Anyway, it is time the counties were forced to give value for the motor tax money many of them arc sinking at the bottom of pot-holes and morasses at the present time. If we can’t reduce the present grotesque number of local bodies—none of these wonderful politicians who “get things done” seem to have any stomach for thisthe next best way to have good roads will be to have the Alain Highways Board proclaim as much road as possible Government road. Luckily, the board seems to have the money to do this, and motorists should urge that it does something, anyhow, to give them real value.

A re you a good driver? Of course you are, and so, on their own showing, would be the other twohundred thousand or so persons with licenses to drive in this country. However, perhaps you might like to check up your driving habits against the characteristics of a good motor pilot as defined by seven of the most experienced authorities in the United Statesranging from the director of the recent national highway safety conference to the country’s leading speedway king. Here

is their idea of the six qualities that mark a good driver:

(1) A good driver has a high degree of self-control at all times, this control manifesting itself in various ways.

(2) The good driver always maintains his car in such shape that it responds easily and quickly, thus assuring control of the car so far as the mechanical equation is concerned.

(3) The good driver regulates his speed in accord with the conditions of the road over which he is travelling, and never travels at such a rate that he cannot stop it within the “clear course” ahead.

(4) The good driver invariably exercises due regard for the rights of others, and always applies the simple axioms of courteous behaviour.

(5) The good driver accepts the safety of the pedestrian as a primary consideration.

(6) The good driver keeps his mind on the road ahead, and docs not indulge in day-dreaming or chattering at the wheel.

As to the “clear course” rule mentioned above, Dr. Dickinson, of the United States Bureau of Standards, who has given much time to highway safety work, lays down the following injunctions of good practice;

“The driver should know whether there is any other vehicle, pedestrian, or obstruction of any kind that can get in his way.

“When there is any possible obstruction such as another vehicle, pedestrian, or animal so located that it could get in his way, he should be certain that it will not do so, or assume that it will.

“He should limit his speed so that having regard to road and vehicle conditions, he can stop safely within the assumed clear course ahead.”

How can one find the most economical speed at which to run a car? To do this scientifically calls for measurement of the petrol consumed, but it can be approximated quite easily on the road. All one has to do is to note the greatest speed at which the car will roll along easily with the least throttle opening. With the car running below this speed it has a tendency to drag, thereby consuming more fuel than is necessary. Likewise, if the car is being forced above its most economical speed it will be necessary to open the throttle wider and wider. The economical speed for the given conditions is that at which the car continues to roll along at the same easy gait, neither dragging nor being forced. At this speed the wear on all the parts is least, and the petrol consumption is lowest for the distance run.