Heavy truck damage studied

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 454, 22 September 1992, Page 2

Heavy truck damage studied

"Is 40 tonnes of logs heavier than 40 tonnes of manure?" was a question asked of the Ruapehu District Council last Friday. The council was discussing damage to rural roads by heavy trucks. Problems have occurred especially in winter months when logging and metal trucks have damaged rural roads which were in a weakened state due to wet winter weather. Roads concerned were usually intended to serve

normal rural traffic, with very occasional heavy truck use, but in some cases such as for logging, six to eight trucks a day were passing over the roads. The council decided to discuss the issue with other councils and the Local Government Association and to then consider the matter again. Several options are available to council to solve the problem but many are difficult or unworkable, according to council officer Bruce Dobson, including prohibiting certain classes of heavy vehicles on roads affected, charging a levy on users, and charging a road toll. Suggested to council was the taking of a bond from logging operators

which would be returned if the road remained in a good state. Some councillors objected to this, saying if an operator had paid all the necessary levies he was entitled to

use a road. Cr Penny said you couldn't single out logging operations, and that "40 tonnes of logs weighed the same as 40 tonnes of manure".