A hole lot of trouble

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

The last time I drove down to Hawke’s Bay I was saddened by the state of State Highway 2.

Lots of other roads I have to say are also in a sad state, which shows it is not just a product of past challenging weather events.

Gone are the days of well-maintained highways.

I am aware that there is an awful lot more traffic using our roads, but shouldn’t that mean there is a lot more revenue  being collected from road user charges etc?

I regard myself as an experienced motorcyclist having ridden motorbikes for most of my adult life; however, riding nowadays is a far more risky proposition because of current road conditions.

There are lots of potholes that are big enough to throw a biker off his machine.

I am also aware that other road users are being put at risk as well.

I would be interested to know if road fatalities have increased in relation to deteriorating road conditions.

How is Waka Kotahi able to get away with this dangerous scenario when health and safety is seen as sacrosanct?

Are we all bound by the same tenets of law, or are some organisations immune from health and safety principles?

Are we simply obliged to accept governmental indiscretions?

Lastly, millions of dollars have been earmarked towards a goal of zero tolerance towards road fatalities. Couple this to current road conditions and we have a  searing incompatibility.

In all honesty I simply ask, what the heck is going on?

I won’t get started on talking about the quality of pothole correction. I will leave that for another day.

Russell Tolley