Road signage

MURRAY Davidson (Letters, 5.1.21) raises a good point, that it is the driver’s responsibility to decide what is right on the road irrespective of what the legal requirements are.

Roadworks signage is not just to protect road workers, but also to protect the work until it is set up. Unfortunately drivers who do not obey speed warning signs damage completed work. Contractors have had to amend practices and materials, at increased cost, to reduce repair vulnerability, but this still requires time.

Roadworks speed limits have a red circle which means it is not voluntary but legal. It is incredibly frustrating working all day repairing sections of road only to come back the next day and have to start again.

According to Mr Davidson, having staff standing beside each patch all night so that there is ‘‘someone there’’ is the only measure that is relevant. Imagine the cost increase if staff had to stand by every repair for 2448 hours across the country.

Unfortunately he is right and there are examples of those who get it wrong. The answer is to complain to the council or the NZ Transport Agency as it will be investigated; having the wrong speed limit up instantly classes the site as dangerous and the person in charge of the job gets an official sanction. Three sanctions and they lose the ability to put out signage. It is taken seriously.

But more dangerous are drivers who make decisions on what they think is right rather than obeying what they are told is right.

Peter Robinson

Mornington