Why fit chains?

Waimarino Bulletin, Issue 6, 26 August 1988, Page 15

Why fit chains?

"I'm only doing my job, sir" would be a phrase well used by the people who work on controlling the Ohakune Mountain Road. There are many cases reported of people abusing the barrier staff on the road, when they are told they must fit chains to their car, or are told the road is closed. Last week Conservation Officer Rob McCallum explained to the Bulletin, for the benefit of readers, how and why the road is controlled. The Department of Conservation has been delegated the authority to control the road by the Waimarino District Council. Along with the authority to control the road the department staff have the responsibility of safety on the road. This is in fact the sole reason behind giving DoC the authority. Mr McCallum and his staffs first task of each winter's day is to decide whether the road is open or closed. This is taking into account whether it is safe to drive on the road. The circumstances that cause the road to be closed are: snow blocking the road; ice making the road surface too dangerous to drive on; and wind and poor visibility creating a danger. This assessment is made at 6.30am but is reviewed regularly during the day. If the decision is to open the road it may be necessary to impose a chain restriction. "Unfortunately we have to assign a road status to accommodate the most inexperienced driver," says Mr McCallum. "So while 90 per cent of drivers could have no trouble, a frustrating 10 per cent would either block the road or have an accident." He says people tend to overestimate their driving ability and under estimate the conditions. "People who have driven on snow and ice may not have any trouble but many visitors are totally unfamiliar to it," says Mr McCallum. Road users are fortunate in that there are a number of places staff can erect chain barriers, says Mr McCallum. Most New Zealand ski field access roads only assign either chains or no chains for the whole road. The Ohakune Mountain Road has areas for setting up barriers at zero kilometres, 9km, 13km and 14km. This saves tyre and chain wear for drivers, says Mr McCallum.