Traffic tribulations

A partial solution to Kiwis’ traffic woes looks simple – some of the prime causes are huge articulated trucks and school drop-offs.

Trucks can be addressed by not allowing trucks on roads between 6am and 7pm unless certified as essential services (or in specified towns), eg concrete trucks, milk tankers, petrol tankers, which usually fall outside peak traffic hours anyway.

Loading and unloading times need shift workers but, with the type of premises involved – like foodmarkets, warehouses, ports, petrol stations – this shouldn’t cause any logistical problems, while taking shift workers’ vehicles out of peak times too.

Large heavy trucks are lumbering beasts, not quick off the mark, holding up traffic at lights and hindering traffic flows. Let’s give it a try for 12 months and see how it goes. There’s nothing to lose and it beats building new roads (with roadworks) to nowhere.

School drop-offs is a no brainer – prohibit this, reinstate urban school buses, starting schooldays at 9.30am and finishing at 3pm. That’s outside peak traffic times with exemptions available on health and disability grounds.

‘‘Walk, cycle or bus to school’’ as interim measures could hold the key until autonomous driving and ride-sharing vehicles become operational and feasible within the next decade.

Rob Paterson, Mt Maunganui