26 people died this week on the road. When will action be taken?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › 26 people died this week on the road. When will action be taken?

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wratterus

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#2213407 9-Apr-2019 10:18

They ought to start by putting our speed limits back up to where they were as the draconian limits NZTA imposing left right and centre obviously haven't been helping.

Around this area there is a section of road that is mostly flat & straight that now has an 80k limit, apparently due to many crashes occurring over the last few years.

None of the crashes NZTA were referring to were caused by speed, they were caused by people doing stupid things, such as a u-turn without having proper visibility. Lowering the speed limit doesn't stop that. NZTA themselves said that during peak times, the average speed on this bit of road is under 80kph anyway. So for some reason they lower the speed limit, although according to themselves they don't need to as the speed is already lower during busy times, and now anyone that uses this perfectly good bit of road off peak gets stuffed over, as well as for some unknown reason, many drivers now do 65 or 70kph, instead of 80.

What does this achieve...? Well it lowers productivity, increases costs, increases frustration. Someone worked out that a person that drives the bit of road twice every day (courier driver for example) loses an entire day a year. Just yesterday there was a pretty nasty crash on this bit of road. Oh no, the speed limit is 80, surely that can't have happened. The problem wasn't speed in the first place.

The powers that be in NZ seem to be so one dimensional in their focus on road safety and just don't seem to get it that the current setup is not working and if anything is getting worse.

IMO a lot of the issue goes right back to poor training and the selfish, entitled attitude of so many people. Judith Collins has a lot to answer for, but that's another discussion....

We should look at a country like Sweden and take some ideas from what they do.

JaseNZ

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#2213408 9-Apr-2019 10:19

Phone phones phones, Crush the car if you are caught on a friken cell phone, The amount of near misses and or actual accidents with people on their bloody phones is appalling.

Following a guy yesterday who was yacking on his phone doing 30 in a 50 and slowing down and speeding up, A long honk on the horn followed by the symbol of phone up to ear just resulted in a middle finger. Would like to take his finger and phone and shove it right up his ar*e. grrrrrrrr

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Jase2985

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#2213738 9-Apr-2019 17:19

i would love to see a study done on peoples driving behaviour vs how they push a trolley round a supermarket. im sure there will be some sort of correlation.

shk292

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#2213742 9-Apr-2019 17:32

JaseNZ:

Phone phones phones, Crush the car if you are caught on a friken cell phone, The amount of near misses and or actual accidents with people on their bloody phones is appalling.

Following a guy yesterday who was yacking on his phone doing 30 in a 50 and slowing down and speeding up, A long honk on the horn followed by the symbol of phone up to ear just resulted in a middle finger. Would like to take his finger and phone and shove it right up his ar*e. grrrrrrrr

Totally agree. Just this morning I passed a young woman doing about 80kph on the Northern Motorway, holding her phone in one hand on the steering wheel and typing away with her other hand. The cops should have a major campaign against this, lots of unmarked SUVs (for high viewpoint) cruising around issuing instant fines and points

tdgeek

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#2213748 9-Apr-2019 18:01

:-)

Ill say it again. For every 1 stated bad driving behaviours, there are MANY standard and fine behaviours. BUT, we need to attack those who score an F, and an E and a D. Give them a fine, then a FINE.

wsnz

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#2213811 9-Apr-2019 18:57

wratterus:

They ought to start by putting our speed limits back up to where they were as the draconian limits NZTA imposing left right and centre obviously haven't been helping.

I have been dealing with the NZTA a lot recently, and their current thoughts around improving safety are:

1. Passing lanes encourage excessive speed, and consequently they are removing them where possible

2. Roundabouts at intersections on state highways reduce the rate of injury related accidents (but not the accident rate overall), therefore expect more very large (30m+ centre island) roundabouts rather than grade seperated interchanges and/or standard intersections

3. Highways with 80Kph limits have a reduced rate of injury related accidents.

The Government has also reprioritised safety as number one, over journey time so expect to see much more of the above.

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tdgeek

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#2213820 9-Apr-2019 19:12

wsnz:

wratterus:

They ought to start by putting our speed limits back up to where they were as the draconian limits NZTA imposing left right and centre obviously haven't been helping.

I have been dealing with the NZTA a lot recently, and their current thoughts around improving safety are:

1. Passing lanes encourage excessive speed, and consequently they are removing them where possible

2. Roundabouts at intersections on state highways reduce the rate of injury related accidents (but not the accident rate overall), therefore expect more very large (30m+ centre island) roundabouts rather than grade seperated interchanges and/or standard intersections

3. Highways with 80Kph limits have a reduced rate of injury related accidents.

The Government has also reprioritised safety as number one, over journey time so expect to see much more of the above.

You'd be surprised how excess speed (and the risk and concentration needed) gives a fairly low return on lower journey time. You don't get there much quicker.

rb99

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#2214346 10-Apr-2019 12:57

And yet when people act responsibly they get this -

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12220980

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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gzt

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#2214385 10-Apr-2019 14:36

Local council. I doubt it would happen that way anywhere else in the country.

tdgeek

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#2214388 10-Apr-2019 14:42

Yes thats a shocker and should be played on every news site and channel there is. Today, there are now x number of people who will do what is required and not stop to rest. The human race is the most intelligent life form on the planet, yep, read that somewhere

Ge0rge

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#2214436 10-Apr-2019 15:32

gzt: Local council. I doubt it would happen that way anywhere else in the country.

I remember reading an article last year perhaps about the same thing happening in Gisborne. Can't find it right now though sorry.

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