DAMAGE TO THE ROADS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1930, Page 7

DAMAGE TO THE ROADS

NEGLECTED POWERS. SPEED AND RESTRICTION OF WEIGHT. WELLINGTON, October 13. The Transport Department’s report states; “From investigations already made it is abundantly clear that the financial position alone in connection with road transport is so serious as to necessitate uniform classification ot roads throughout the Dominion. Definite maximum speed restrictions on gravel and macadam roads and regulation of commercial traffic, to keep road traffic down to reasonable requirements, provide machinery for co-ordin-ation of services. To enforce these proposals would necessitate little additional expenditure so far as central administration is concerned, but would certainly entail a staff of transport inspectors for road duty, including enforcement of all road transport powers vested in the Government.” Of the 40.000 odd miles of roads less than 1000 miles are dllstless, and the report ul’ges some action to keep the cost down to something more in keeping with actual requirements.

CRITICISM OF SOUTH ISLAND. It is complained that although statutory power exists for road classification and speed restriction, the two most important factors in road costs, many local authorities, particularly in the South Island, decline to classify, and if this classification were done by the Minister of Transport no governmental machinery is available to enforce it, as obviously the local authority would decline to do so. In this connection attention is drawn by the report to the South Island, where nearly the whole of the roading system, including main highways, is unclassified, arid (therefore available for gross loads up to the full statutory limit of . ten tons on twoaxled vehicles and fifteenvtons on multiaxled vehicles. Add to this the jfact that no limitation of speed ‘exists for light traffic, an'd that at 1 certain speeds ordinary motor-cars do more damage to gravel and macadam roads than legitimate heavy traffiq thereon travelling at regulation speeds, and some idea may be gained of the damage to roads* owing to the lack of reasonable regulation.