Taking a long-term approach to roading

Itravelled south of Hamilton in my ute last Friday, which has springs designed to carry a load, and what an experience that was. Leaving early, the normal long traffic queues weren’t so bad, but the narrow and slow roads, with patches, ruts, surface failures and subsidence was very evident.

Clearly Northland roads are in significant decline and face the spectre of catastrophic collapse as evidenced recently in the Mangamukas and on Hokianga’s

West Coast Rd. It started me pondering — why we can’t build roads.

I slowly bounced my way south on these rough and winding roads with limited passing opportunities until south of Wellsford, before the surface improved. The northern toll road was a relief, soon to be replaced by the hassle of Auckland congestion.

Then I experienced the ecstasy of the 110km/h Hamilton expressway; a flat surface, long straight sections, wide open spaces and ample passing room. Should you ever leave the road, there are wide shoulders and no obstacles to hit. Even the landscaping is great with Mā ori works of art, restored wetlands and native plantings. This is what a quality expressway should look like. Well done Waka Kotahi and the local hapū and community groups who must surely have been involved.

Imagine the time saving for Waikato businesses, reduced wear and tear on trucks and reduced travel times must surely run into many millions of dollars in savings for local residents and business. There is also the bonus of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I found it a real joy to drive on; it’s no wonder, if what I heard was correct, that it’s the safest road in New Zealand despite its posted speed limit.

What a contrast this is from the failing third-world roads of Northland. It’s no wonder the Northland road toll is twice the NZ average.

It’s time to stop the short-sighted government tinkering with roading priorities for political ends via the Government Policy Statement for Land Transport, and replace it with an aspirational 50-year resultsfocused strategic approach to roading infrastructure.

Such a strategy will deliver for each region a modern, safe and resilient transportation network that ultimately will see a four-lane backbone for New Zealand that unlocks the potential of each region.

Thinking this way will see main routes identified and necessary land secured, backed by a sound business case. There will be greater involvement of communities and those that can deliver being given the opportunities to do so. There’ll be balance between new road building and timely and effective maintenance. Significant cost savings will result through forward work programming, innovation and projects of scale. There will be clear annual deliverables, continual improvement and accountability.

We can build good roads in New Zealand, but clear decisive action must be taken, otherwise we will see an acceleration of what is happening in Northland with collapsing roads, escalation of costs, high death rates and our communities carrying a still greater burden.