New Zealand Roads

[RobD 41]

I'm interested to hear people's thoughts on the state of our rural roading network. is it just me, or do other people die a little inside with every pothole. This weekend, I drove from Auckland to Ohakune and back. On the way down, I went via Te Kuiti and Taumaranui. I really enjoyed the drive - the road surface was good for the most part, and the scenery fantastic. Perhaps the lack of trucks helped preserve the roads? All told, a great drive for the 335i and I arrived thoroughly chuffed with the car. Drives like that make me fall in love the manual gearbox all over again. On the way back however, I drove via Turangi, Taupo, Tokoroa, then Tirau. Almost the entire way back I had fists of rage because of the dismal state of the roads. Potholes, ruts, corrugations, massive surface irregularities, shonky patchwork that seemed 2 inches higher than the rest of the road, dangerous off camber corners etc etc. It was like driving along a metal road with a spattering of tar here and there - in Bhutan. How can one of our major 'highways' be so bad? Other countries with small populations seem to manage just fine, but we seem to be hell bent on persisting with coarse chip and third world roading methods. Rant over. I'm off to buy a Maxima with 205/65 tyres and spongy suspension.

Edited July 13, 2014 by RobD

[kiwi535 538]

Compared to what?

I reckon for the.size of our country we have a very comprehensive road network,mostly sealed.

Are you talking design,stste of repair,or what

[yng_750 247]

Compared to the rest of the world i think we do quite well as far as design etc.

Good camber and consistant radius corners.

Costs will always be high when you consider how much road we have per capita vs most crowded countries.

Only gripe i have is they constantly take the lowest bid. They save 10% but need it resealed twice as often because it falls apart. Poor economics but looks better on todays budget. At the expense of next years

[pldubs 308]

On the whole I think theyre pretty bad, but the roads in AK are miles better than anything in the south.

[kiwi535 538]

On the whole I think theyre pretty bad, but the roads in AK are miles better than anything in the south. 

 

Define better:P

[yng_750 247]

No complaints around taupo. Only dislike is they use that slippery white paint for lines in town. Have seen plenty of people fall when exiting cars. Also not enough room for cyclists but in fairness the cyclists insist of riding on a narrow road that services foresty. Quarrys and geothermal construction.

[Tristan 338]

Currently in New York. Our roads are a God-send by comparison.

[pldubs 308]

Define better:P

Okay =)

for one, Theyre flat..ish

two, Theyre well lit

three, For the most part theyre painted correctly

four, They seem planned unlike the south

five, Theyre well maintained

Im pretty biased though, Moved from AK to Dunedin where every road is like an ungraded gravel rally stage that theyve thrown some bitumen over to make it look pretty

Edited July 13, 2014 by pldubs

[jom 96]

Dreadful. built for drainage, and sometimes not even that.

The big difference in country roads between here and the UK is when you have an accident. In the UK you go through a hedge and wreck the car, here you will probably not survive.

If you want to see proper roads in a country with low population density, go to France - the Autoroutes are superb.

And - I watched the M25 being built in the UK - there's about 3m of coarse tarmac before the top seal is put on in some areas. On our SH system we're lucky if we get 1m.

Road repairs are like Jason said - cheap. Sometimes there are more bumps after the repair than before.

Visitors are amazed at the white painted wooden fences that we use to separate the road from a sheer drop. I've tried to convince them that the white paint makes the fence stronger, but it's a hard ask... (and this is not on rural roads - try SH2 over the Rimutakas)

We desperately need a 4 lane divided highway between Wellington and Auckland, with a sensible speed limit, 120/130km/h in rural areas? I guess before that happens, we'll have to teach the driving population to keep left...

Rant over.

Jo

[RobD 41]

Compared to what?

I reckon for the.size of our country we have a very comprehensive road network,mostly sealed.

Are you talking design,stste of repair,or what

Not the network - that's pretty good. It's about the lack of care and investment in the roads themselves. The Government goes on about the road toll, but I wonder how much that would go down if the condition of the roads improved to first world standards. Coarse chip is a terrible surface and seems to constantly suffer from potholes and corrugations. It's a false economy to build a road on the cheap and then have to repair massive sections of it every other year.

[RobD 41]

Dreadful. built for drainage, and sometimes not even that.

The big difference in country roads between here and the UK is when you have an accident. In the UK you go through a hedge and wreck the car, here you will probably not survive.

If you want to see proper roads in a country with low population density, go to France - the Autoroutes are superb.

And - I watched the M25 being built in the UK - there's about 3m of coarse tarmac before the top seal is put on in some areas. On our SH system we're lucky if we get 1m.

Road repairs are like Jason said - cheap. Sometimes there are more bumps after the repair than before.

Visitors are amazed at the white painted wooden fences that we use to separate the road from a sheer drop. I've tried to convince them that the white paint makes the fence stronger, but it's a hard ask... (and this is not on rural roads - try SH2 over the Rimutakas)

We desperately need a 4 lane divided highway between Wellington and Auckland, with a sensible speed limit, 120/130km/h in rural areas? I guess before that happens, we'll have to teach the driving population to keep left...

Rant over.

Jo

I completely agree, and there's no reason why over the last 30 years we couldn't have built that 4 lane highway. I think it's a money management issue. Instead, we've had years of blowing hundreds of millions on other things and all at the cost of issues that matter.

[yng_750 247]

A four lane highway is only as easy as the hardest part. try putting four lanes around the taupo lake front. you cant bypass taupo as its surrounded by maori land that they wont sell.

[handgrenade 189]

Alex will chime in no doubt soon .. pot hole destroyed a rim ..

[MISS BM 712]

Alex who came for a cruise with us yesterday, Cracked one rim, buckled the other on his E46 Wagon after we all hit a rough patch on S Highway 1 yesterday by Hampton..

Ryan (brother) buckled/warped an entire Audi Rim in Kumeu couple weeks ago - now pursuing that NZTA pay for the damage.

My Car - Subframe is so badly cracked due to just my road, which has potholes from here to China, uneven surface, patches every 5m, and this is on the shore, 5 minutes out from Urbanness.

Our roads are sh*t. Main motorways seem to be okay, but branch out and it's disgusting. Especially when I call up NZTA 20 times over to fix one pothole and a year later they still can't manage to do it....

[M5V8 337]

Almost the entire way back I had fists of rage because of the dismal state of the roads. Potholes, ruts, corrugations, massive surface irregularities, shonky patchwork that seemed 2 inches higher than the rest of the road, dangerous off camber corners etc etc. It was like driving along a metal road with a spattering of tar here and there - in Bhutan. How can one of our major 'highways' be so bad? Other countries with small populations seem to manage just fine, but we seem to be hell bent on persisting with coarse chip and third world roading methods. Rant over. I'm off to buy a Maxima with 205/65 tyres and spongy suspension.

Amen. Rob.

Well someone had to say it.

I've been travelling to Tauranga from Auckland most wknds and I'm shocked with the state of the road. At one point I was forced over a massive pothole, that or vere into oncoming traffic. Rudely awoke my passengers.

Yes my car is lowered on 19" rims. But still that thing was massive, and it wasn't just one.

I'm with you Rob. I'm honestly for the first time thinking I might need to give up my M5 and get a automatic SUV to deal with the state of some of the roads I have to travel. I've never seen it so bad.

Forget keeping my eye on the speedo or looking for other road users I'm forced to scan the road ahead for something lurking wanting to rip a wheel off and leave us stranded.

we aren't alone here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/10215123/Rocky-roads-in-need-of-repair

[RobD 41]

Alex will chime in no doubt soon .. pot hole destroyed a rim ..

Alex who came for a cruise with us yesterday, Cracked one rim, buckled the other on his E46 Wagon after we all hit a rough patch on S Highway 1 yesterday by Hampton..

Ryan (brother) buckled/warped an entire Audi Rim in Kumeu couple weeks ago - now pursuing that NZTA pay for the damage.

My Car - Subframe is so badly cracked due to just my road, which has potholes from here to China, uneven surface, patches every 5m, and this is on the shore, 5 minutes out from Urbanness.

Our roads are sh*t. Main motorways seem to be okay, but branch out and it's disgusting. Especially when I call up NZTA 20 times over to fix one pothole and a year later they still can't manage to do it....

I agree. The motorway network from Orewa to Bombay is great. So are the South Western and South Eastern arterial networks. I could drive up and down those roads all day and the car just loves the surface. I just get the feeling that the guys doing the repairs are working to a tiny budget / get in and get out as fast as they can. Pour a tiny amount of tar on the repair, then a huge pile of chip on top, and then b*gger off, leaving the cars to compress the chip into the tar and crack a few dozen windscreens on the way. Wild West.

Edited July 13, 2014 by RobD

[Driftit 1953]

I completely agree, and there's no reason why over the last 30 years we couldn't have built that 4 lane highway. I think it's a money management issue. Instead, we've had years of blowing hundreds of millions on other things and all at the cost of issues that matter.

Pretty sure the NZ government was offered this by the Americans after WW2.

They Declined for whatever reason. Would be more to it and I am interested to know the whole story if anyone knows.

It takes too long to get improvements passed and built in this country. Are they being shortsighted? No. They don't want their budget to look bad. Cheapest option every time. Aucklands infrastructure is choking.

Introduce a congestion charge for the CBD. Use ALL of this to improve roading infrastructure.

Build a new harbor crossing now. Pay for this by Automated cheap to run Tolling system. Keep it there for as long as possible using funds to pay debt and improve other areas and maintenance.

Have all motorway work done 24/7 until complete. E.g. One extra lane between Oteha Valley Road and Constellation Road on SH1 is meant to take 2 years! The traffic is beyond a joke until they finish. They don't work past 4pm. There doesn't seem to be many working on the project. Seen them on a Saturday maybe 3 or 4 times.

Edit.

Good luck getting money for broken car parts. If they don't just ignore you. They will tell you to claim on your insurance.

Edited July 13, 2014 by driftit

[RobD 41]

Amen. Rob.

Well someone had to say it.

I've been travelling to Tauranga from Auckland most wknds and I'm shocked with the state of the road. At one point I was forced over a massive pothole, that or vere into oncoming traffic. Rudely awoke my passengers.

Yes my car is lowered on 19" rims. But still that thing was massive, and it wasn't just one.

I'm with you Rob. I'm honestly for the first time thinking I might need to give up my M5 and get a automatic SUV to deal with the state of some of the roads I have to travel. I've never seen it so bad.

Forget keeping my eye on the speedo or looking for other road users I'm forced to scan the road ahead for something lurking wanting to rip a wheel off and leave us stranded.

we aren't alone here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/10215123/Rocky-roads-in-need-of-repair

I sometimes wonder if the volume of trucks using the roads has anything to do with it. 40 tonnes and 16 wheels quickly turns a small pothole or rut into a big one. I guess there isn't a lot that can be done about the trucking due to the geography of NZ and cost of using rail to transport goods - but they have to have something to do with it.

I know what you mean about scanning the road ahead though! I spend so much time watching for the dreaded pothole or sharp 2" repair ledge. It's the curse of having too much mechanical sympathy, and I think that's something we all share.

[handgrenade 189]

SH20 is great since they widened Mangere bridge and the extension out west, they did a bit of maintenance as well when they added more lanes .. it still is a bit sloppy around Wamsley Rd south bound but very minor.

It's my main drive to work, SH20 all the way.

[vtgts300kw 90]

Only gripe i have is they constantly take the lowest bid. They save 10% but need it resealed twice as often because it falls apart. Poor economics but looks better on todays budget. At the expense of next years

Roading contracts are a complete and utter rort.

[No name user 379]

a lot of our roads are crap no two ways about it im rural and the roads are worse after repairing than before

[yng_750 247]

I can still not get over the fact that hamilton doesnt have a single man hole cover flush with the road. All are either raised or sunken. And they always put them in the main wheel tracks.

Road works is one of the last trye manual jobs. Everything else has become more efficient and manchine reliant but truth of the matter is every roading prohect takes thousands of man hours and every time minimum wage goes up it costs more.

We cant afford to have good roads when we are paying f**kwits $30+ an hour to stand around.

[RobD 41]

I can still not get over the fact that hamilton doesnt have a single man hole cover flush with the road. All are either raised or sunken. And they always put them in the main wheel tracks.

Road works is one of the last trye manual jobs. Everything else has become more efficient and manchine reliant but truth of the matter is every roading prohect takes thousands of man hours and every time minimum wage goes up it costs more.

We cant afford to have good roads when we are paying f**kwits $30+ an hour to stand around.

So true. It seems every manhole cover is 3 inches below the level of the road, or mounted 3 inches above, and right in line with the wheels. Whenever you drive past roadworks, it's the usual comical scene of 9 guys standing around leaning on shovels with a digger sitting idle on the road and one guy using his spade. Nothing like efficiency.

[westy 614]

1st world problems.

Now, my 3rd world goat track, that's another story. Even coarse chip would be a god send.

f**k you Auckland cuntcil, you buch of useless motherf**king arseholes.

feels a little better...

[Allanw 1051]

My road is now down to a single lane, between 2 blind corners(!), because the massive sag that appeared about a year (or more!) ago was never fixed, and now the sag is about 3 times the length, and is quite possibly threatening to drop. all they ever did was dump hotmix onto the crack. They could have at least tried to level the road up a bit, as half the through traffic used to swerve out over the centre line to miss it. Normal around here.