A very expensive stretch of road

5/11/2012 9:49:28 p.m.

kit wrote:

We need a total review of the way in which is designed and constructed in NZ. I recently spoke to a civil engineer in roading who told me that it's one massive racket. They build a substandard road and then get paid over and over again to repair. The Waikato expressway is a case in point, it's only afew years old and is forever being repaired. The stretch approaching Meremere drag strip is a poorly switchback where excess water lies on the outside of the overtaking lane in many places... And why are we using wire centre dividers? They arent capable of stopping a truck from crossing carriageways and they offer a death sentence to motorcyclists in the event of a collision ... most of the civilised world has banned them for a decade or more. And urban road design ... take a look at the new intersections in Hamilton... it seems the goal is to lay as much tarmac as possible and erect as many traffic lights as can be placed. The roundabouts at Horotiu have adverse cambers and several trucks have already tipped over there ... and still the powers that be say road design plays no role in the number of road deaths ... go stick THAT on a Tui Billboard !

2/11/2012 10:24:50 a.m.

Graham Bathgate wrote:

Congratulations to Dan Parker, a well constructed expose. I thought the ordinary people affected by the Monster Motorway came across better than the People with Power ... I mean, they were speaking from the heart and the head. I suspect this is not the last of this Cost Benefit Ratio story, no matter what Mr Brownlee says.

2/11/2012 1:11:35 a.m.

Braam wrote:

PHOEBE: It always is an option to just walk, but that just ain't Smart. Maybe your Smart and the Kiwi way don't like queues and socialism, which ain't so Smart, not profitable, non of which a government should be... makes you think hey..

1/11/2012 8:54:42 a.m.

Phoebe wrote:

Wonderful and timely to see you expose the uneconomical foundation of the roads of national significance. I'm an Aucklander who doesn't want to be chained to a car. How about the government redirects some of that $12 billion to invest in Smart transport which has been proven overseas to be a viable, sustainable income. With the end of the fossil fuel era in sight, patronage of alternatives will continue to increase. Why don't we maximise on this opportunity to catch up with cities overseas like Copenhagen, Sydney or Tokyo who have wisely invested in smart transport and are now reaping the financial rewards?

31/10/2012 6:50:52 p.m.

Harriet wrote:

This was great story. It's concerning to see the Government committing $12 billion dollars to a few state highways that will deliver limited benefits to the nation. Not only that, but the Government is planning on borrowing money to fund these projects. How can they justify this when the majority of the RoNS, especially the Northern Corridor have a less than 1.0 BCR? Gerry is putting all his eggs in one basket and locking us into a transport system that will cost us not only today, but well into the future. The Transport Minister should take a more balanced approach, and invest more in local roads that deliver measurable economic benefits, as well as smart transport options such as trains, buses and cycle ways. I'm glad to see Campbell Live highlight how irresponsible the RoNS project really is.

31/10/2012 4:06:26 p.m.

LBV wrote:

And yet the Manawatu Gorge will not be replaced and every time it closes a large amount of traffic, including large trucks will go through Ashhurst and up a goat track neither of which is designed to be a state highway. Residents don't want a state highway through their village and the main intersection has six roads and is near the school and right next to a playcentre. The Saddle road (which is the Gorge alternative) is a steep goat track which kills the gears on your vehicle. There were numerous accidents and drivers took out their frustration at time delays by driving dangerously through residential areas. Many pets were killed. Residents have had disrupted sleep for over a year. Despite all of this (and 10 million+ being spent on the Gorge) The link between Palmy through to Napier is not considered important enough to be a road of National significance.

31/10/2012 2:36:09 p.m.

Nina wrote:

Cool to see this issue in the news. I find the RoNS project pretty concerning as these decisions shape the New Zealand that I will live into, as a young person. If the government wants to invest in long-term, 'intergenerational' transport infrastructure then they should be going for smart options that won't lock NZ into a high carbon future and make us more and more vulnerable to the price of foreign oil. I would like to see some investment into projects that will actually be useful and beneficial in another 20+ years time. I'm glad to see that the huge amount of money being spent on motorways is being questioned. http://generationzero.org.nz/5050/?home=home

31/10/2012 10:22:22 a.m.

Mike wrote:

Drive north of Huntly and a few km north you hit 4 lanes most of the way to Auckland, and much further north.

The reality is the main hiway was always going to see development. While current traffic doesn't warrant it, future traffic will. How much future traffic? Well till its built nobody will realy know. Take the huntly-Auckland stretch which is now 4 lanes, the heavy traffic growth exceeded expectations, as with better roads came more traffic, and less delays (even in recession). The number of fatalities has also been reduced. Kapiti has regular road toll - but road toll is also insignificant.

Take Christchurch, building a stadium isn't viable either, yet a city Christchurches size needs its facilities.

Over 100km of expressway will vastly improve our southern roading in the North Island.

If take the distance it will see the average time to cover that distance save around 9-12 minutes on good days, more on current bad days. On 16000 vehicles a day this will save between 400-540 mil in 30 years. If traffic doubles, the savings will be much larger than that. Wellington trafic jams in holiday periods have reached north past Otaki, all due to insufficient roading jamming up the traffic!

This forgets the business opportunity if better roading is available. With roading, businesses will move and use the road.

Take the Auckland Harbour bridge, when built it immediately became inadequateas they found the national significance of lanes wasn't enough! This is why the bridge has its clip-ons!

31/10/2012 6:37:49 a.m.

Wiseacre wrote:

National don't support facts and figures. National doesn't support reason or rationality. National supports only itself and its cronies. National would rather support the road and trucking lobby groups that provide such generous party donations, than do what is right for the country, its people, and its finances. National would rather spend $12 billion on uneconomic roads to nowhere while gas prices are rising and car usage & vehicle ownership is trending down. That money would be much better invested in improving existing roads, upgrading the rail network, public transport and better walking and cycling routes. But public transport will never get the support it desperately needs under a National Government, because no self respecting National member would ever deign to use public transport. Public transport is only for the working class, not the ruling class.

30/10/2012 10:08:58 p.m.

Polar wrote:

If we had politicians like Vogel we wouldn't have politicians like Bronwlee and / or Joyce!!!!!