Road rules I'd like to see changed/implemented

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Road rules I'd like to see changed/implemented

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#3086772 9-Jun-2023 08:54

dukester: Roundabout rule should be same as in Finland. You only indicate when you exit roundabout. From my observations so far, everyone follows this rule, it makes negotiating a roundabout easy.

Is that so people approaching the roundabout from the opposite direction have absolutely no idea if you're going to cross in front of them or not?

mudguard

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#3086788 9-Jun-2023 09:18

Yeah that's what I wondered. You'd have people approaching from either side and then you don't know if you can go until the carry on straight, or they turn across in front of you.

Gordy7

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#3086792 9-Jun-2023 09:31

fe31nz:

Gordy7:

Enforcing no parking on the left side of the road facing the wrong way.

My car automatically brakes when seeing the front of cars facing me on the left.

There is no law that prevents you from parking facing the wrong way. When I was young, my father was given a ticket for doing this, but the ticket was actually for driving on the wrong side of the road, as you have to do that first in order to park the wrong way around. When Dad objected, he was asked to prove that he had hired a crane to put the car where it was!

You can be fined for parking on the right hand side of a road:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/roadcode/general-road-code/about-driving/stopping-and-parking/where-not-to-park/

I think it is something to do with red lights to the rear of the car in the direction of travel - white lights to the front (except for reversing lights).

Gordy

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richms

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#3086816 9-Jun-2023 10:26

If they can put cameras on the motorway to see people allegedly using a phone, they can damn well put them in to detect a toyota aqua with empty space in front and a queue behind them in the right lane.

Richard rich.ms

rb99

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#3086818 9-Jun-2023 10:39

Not a road rule, but if they want to do something useful, maybe they could only enforce speed reductions at roadworks when there are actually people there doing actual roadworks (or another proper reason like lots of loose stones or something).

“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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johno1234

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#3086883 9-Jun-2023 11:25

rb99:

Not a road rule, but if they want to do something useful, maybe they could only enforce speed reductions at roadworks when there are actually people there doing actual roadworks (or another proper reason like lots of loose stones or something).

There are so many coned or reduced speed roadworks areas with no actual roadworks going on, nor loose metal, new seal etc) that people have become immune to them.

rb99

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#3086886 9-Jun-2023 11:30

johno1234:

rb99:

Not a road rule, but if they want to do something useful, maybe they could only enforce speed reductions at roadworks when there are actually people there doing actual roadworks (or another proper reason like lots of loose stones or something).

There are so many coned or reduced speed roadworks areas with no actual roadworks going on, nor loose metal, new seal etc) that people have become immune to them.

Exactly the problem. Didn't stop my better half getting a speeding ticket for going over 30 at totally dead roadworks on a public holiday though...

“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

rb99

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SpartanVXL

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#3086894 9-Jun-2023 11:52

Add Usa style 4 way stop's to our road laws.

Yea nah, after having experienced it no thanks. If a intersection is small enough put a roundabout, if it’s big enough put in lights and have hard rules set. If it’s streets are designed in a major/minor just keep the bigger/streamlined street and put stop/give way on the smaller one.

Four way stops rely too much on the driver(s) decision making.

tweake

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#3086899 9-Jun-2023 12:04

Scott3:

Stop the mix of 1 7/8th & 50mm towballs, move to 50mm.
Relieve cycles of the obligation to stop at stop sign's. Sight lines are really good on bike's so it is not really needed, and stopping is a pain and adds risk.
Add Usa style 4 way stop's to our road laws.
Re-classify Pure EV's (between 3500kg & 4250kg as light vehicles). This will allow large EV van's to be competitive on payload with similar diesel vehicles. UK has allows EV's up to 4250 to be driven on the same license that allows 3500kg max car's.
Rewrite all Road laws involving fines, so that the $ value is not hard-coded into the law, instead refer to say a tier 17 fine, and have the government publish a fine's table each year. Would remove the current crazy situation where parking in a bus lane is a $60 fine, but driving in a buslane is a $150 fine. In general parking fines in the big cities have been eroded by inflation to a point where a few hours in a wilsons car park can be more expensive.
Add in-service emissions testing requirements (i.e. sniffer test at WOF).
Change central government law from allowing berm parking, to only allowing it in locations without a formed cerb (allow councils to override with bylaws or signage).
Add law to allow automated vehicle lighting enforcement camera's. Like a speed camera, but detects vehicles With the dip beams pointing into other car's windscreens, vehicles with fog lights on in clear weather etc.
Make it legal to pass a cyclist on a painted median.
Make it illegal for a vehicle to emit visible smoke (say 10 year grandfather period for vehicles registered before the law change). Currently, the law only makes it illegal to if the smoke is emitted for 10 seconds or more.
Remove the law which makes it illegal to park on road when off road park is available.
Rework of the laws for e-mobility vehicles. Currently 1.2kW Yike bikes, 300W max e-scooters, 300W assist e-bikes are legal, while the following are illegal: e-skateboards, segways, 300W elctric scooters (motorcycle styling) electric monowheels, ebikes /escooters over 300W. Need a consistent basis for all these vehicles, rather than cherrypicking stuff. I lump low powered electric personal vehicles together. Say anything under 40kg, that either has a max power under 300W, or a max speed under 35km/h.
Reform helmet laws for consistency between bikes and e-scooters
Allow neighborhood electric vehicles & golf carts to be used on roads with say speed limits of 60km/h or less.
Add a law allowing light quadracycles, i.e. Renault Twizy.
Require fresh import vehicles be fitted with an immobilizer to be registered in NZ. (perhaps 5 year grace period for existing fleet)
Change the 20 year old exemption of imports to emissions / collision rules to 30 years.
Require tall vehicles be fitted with side & rear under-run protection.
Get rid of the law requiring coaster breaks on 16" kids bikes.
Change the 90km/h speed limit for heavy vehicles, so it only applies to heavy vehicles over 6000kg GVM.
Require traffic in both directions (no median) to pull over and stop to allow an emergency vehicle to pass (think this is the case in the USA).
Require cargo vans be fitted with a bulkhead for first registration.
Fix the ute FBT loophole (Perhaps only have it apply to utes with a maximum of 1 row of seating, for consistency with vans, hatchbacks, wagons etc.)
Consider a special license or something for 750kg+ towing, even if it is just a theory test.
Substantially increase lengths of licence disqualification for serious driving offences. currently it typically is double the max prison time. I think it should be more like 20x.
Allow the riding of bikes at under 20km/h on the footpath.
Require DRL's (frount & rear), or always on headlights for new import car's.

a lot of that is simply not practical. NZ has an old fleet, it has a lot of rural users who use offroad vehicles. people simply could not afford to upgrade.

even something a simple as changing to 50mm tow ball would be horrendously expensive because 50mm are rare here. it would mean most trailers would need new hitches as well as most vehicles need new tow ball. you might as well go up to the USA sizes and be able to use their cheap mass produced trailer hitches.

you can drive 6000kg vehicle on a car license, ev or not. over 3500kg requires COF and weight is weight. ev makes no difference from a safety standpoint.

Scotdownunder

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#3086900 9-Jun-2023 12:04

There is a four way stop on minor suburban streets in Petone. I just treat it as a roundabout and give way to vehicle on the right.

in the UK they avoid this situation by painting mini roundabouts at any junction with no clear priority. You find them everywhere.

cruxis

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#3086946 9-Jun-2023 14:26

Bring the penalty of first time cell phone use while driving to match the same as for first time drunk driving. 28 Days loss of vehicle.

lxsw20

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#3086962 9-Jun-2023 15:33

Except that's not the penalty for first time drunk driving. It's a trip to court and usually 6 months loss of license.

RunningMan

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#3086979 9-Jun-2023 16:11

tweake:

RunningMan:

@tweake are you sure it specifically states "narrow road". Not getting confused with turning right on high speed road?

actually you might be right. it looks like they changed it. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/whole.html#DLM303046

If it has been changed, it was a very long time ago - here's the 1976 version:

7. Changing direction-

(1) Except when regulation 6 hereof applies, any driver intending to turn to enter another roadway or a vehicle entrance-
(a) To the left, shall move as far as practicable to the left side of the roadway before reaching the point at which he wishes to turn, and shall keep as close as practicable to the left side of the roadway throughout his turn:
(b) To the right, shall move as far as practicable to the right without encroaching on any lanes not available to him (or, in the case of a roadway not marked in lanes, without encroaching over the middle of the roadway) before reaching the point at which he wishes to turn, and shall turn as directly as possible
to a similar position on any roadway he enters.
(2) Notwithstanding anything in subclause (1) (b) of this regulation, it shall not be an offence for a driver if, in the interests of safety, he moves his vehicle as far as practicable to the left of the roadway on which he is travelling and slows or stops his vehicle in advance of the point where he intends to turn to the right until the roadway is clear of other traffic

Source

rogercruse

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#3086981 9-Jun-2023 16:16

networkn:

rogercruse:

A new warning light to let following vehicles know that you are changing speed. (that is, slowing down or speeding up)

Cars with active cruise control and / or regenerative braking need a where to alert other road users when they slow down without using their brake light. So as they slow down, the new warning light lets others reactive accordingly.

The new light could glow a more intense colour based on your speed... this would need to distinct from, and in addition to the existing brake light could also indicate when you speed up.

Do not agree with any of this. Brakes light need to be on or off. brightness levels mean someone has to equate brightness to level of braking, many factors can impact how light is perceived. We don't need additional lights for speed changes either, you should be paying attention when you drive, and keeping a safe distance. Drivers bear responsibility for their driving, and for being aware of other drivers. If you can't, catch a bus or a taxi, or train.

I should have made clear that my last point '...new light could glow at a more intense colout based on speed...' was a suggestion, hence the word 'could' and not 'should'.

Clearly something to inform a following driver that you are slowing down... and / or something that informs the active cruise control of the following vehicle allowing convoys of vehicles to exchange information, etc????

MikeB4

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#3086982 9-Jun-2023 16:19

I would like to see the fines for parking in mobility parks without permit and parking across the footpath raised to $500 and enforced tow away

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