Road Transport Forum

Reducing speed limits no substitute for road maintenance

The Road Transport Forum and its associations have long the Auckland Harbour Bridge. While I can understand the been concerned with the state of New Zealand’s road frustration with the disruption caused by the incident, there surfaces and the impact this is having on safety for those is no suggestion that the driver had any control over what in our industry. happened. The reality is that the driver actually deserves

I have, over the past few months, made a real effort to public sympathy for what must have been an extremely scary highlight the issue and even invited media to come with me, experience, and we should be grateful that he and other Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, deputy mayor Tania Kerr, motorists weren’t seriously injured. and local truck driver Antony Alexander, to take a look at the I do, however, believe it is important that as a country we condition of State Highway 5 Napier to Taupo. take lessons from the incident and the weeks of disruptions it

What we saw was a complete mess. The road surface is a has caused to Auckland’s already congested transport system. I patchwork of potholes and patches and in places there is so don’t consider it acceptable that our largest city, and contributor much loose chip and gravel that it moves under your feet as of nearly 40% of our GDP, was effectively split in half by a gust you walk on it. of wind.

The side of the road also leaves a lot to be desired. For heavy I have gone on the public record stating that I believe the vehicles the result of dropping a wheel over the white line isn’t impact of the incident, the ongoing lane closures and the really worth thinking about, economic disruption they have while very few run-off areas caused, deserve a formal inquiry. and steep shoulder gradients A first-world, 21st century city provide little margin for error. It should have far better infrastructure is unsurprising that over the last year or so eight people have died The problem is, rather than resilience, and when your geography includes a harbour that cuts right on this stretch of road. The problem is, rather than investing in improving road investing in improving road surfaces, the government across the city, that means it is critical to have a second crossing point. surfaces, the government continually chooses to take the cheap option and simply continually chooses to take the cheap option and simply A second harbour crossing has been mooted for years, yet disputes over what form it should take, what imposes greater speed reductions. Just recently the NZ Transport Agency reduced speed limits imposes greater speed reductions. transport infrastructure it should include and how much should be invested, have meant the whole on SH1 from Taupo Airport to concept has, up until now, been put Turangi. in the too hard basket.

Unfortunately, reducing The ongoing closure of lanes on speeds inevitably increases costs, the Auckland Harbour Bridge will especially for the freight sector. Those costs ultimately need inevitably cost the economy tens, if not hundreds, of millions to be passed on down through the economy, and with trucks of dollars. In reality, however, the lack of an alternative crossing transporting 93% of New Zealand’s total freight, the economic results in an economic loss to our country impact is likely to be significant. every day. Even when the bridge is running

A journey increased by an hour might not be a big deal at full capacity commuter congestion results to private motorists, but to the transport industry it can in a major productivity loss and slower substantially alter the freight task. The longer it takes for trucks freight movements. to get somewhere, the more expensive the journey becomes, the It is important that we learn our lessons more drivers you need or the more overnight halts are required, from the bridge debacle and use it as and the harder it hits the pockets of New Zealand businesses motivation to invest in the infrastructure and consumers. that will improve Auckland’s resilience and

In some places speed limit changes may be necessary and the increase our nation’s productivity. A second Nick Leggett transport industry can accept that. But wholesale reductions harbour crossing should be back on the table. Chief executive in speed limits are not a viable long-term substitute for road The longer we delay, the more it’s going to officer maintenance and certainly do not come without consequences cost us.  for our economy.

On another infrastructure-related issue, I was pretty disturbed to see some people in the media seek to blame the driver whose truck was blown onto a load-bearing strut on