Ice time on Ruapehu roads

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 592, 27 June 1995, Page 3

Ice time on Ruapehu roads

The Ruapehu District Council have warned the public to take care over the next two months with ice on roads. In particular state highways in the District are dangerous due to the relatively high vehicle speeds and the high elevations of some parts of the roads. Bridge decks and sections of roads that are shaded for most of the day are the usual areas that ice up. However, more widespread icing can occur when a frost sets in before wet roads dry out. Also, pedestrians in urban areas need to take care as footpaths can ice up as well. Council carries out gritting on the roads

that are under its control to reduce the effects of icing. However, council officers say on some days there are so many areas of icing that it isn't possible to cover all before the main flow of traffic occurs. Transit New Zealand also has a policy on state highways to grit icy roads as soon as possible. Residents should call the council if they are aware of an ice problem on a road that has not been attended to, advises council chief executive Cliff Houston. A 24-hour answering service is available to deal with this type of complaint, he said. The Ruapehu District Council phone number is 06-385-8364.