Aaah, so it ISN'T Emerg Serv's responsibility to mark the alternate route! Do you know who is responsible if the alt route goes into a dead-end or ends up causing further accidents/incidents!
cjdnzl,
Jan 1, 10:58am
Ok, McKay's Crossing has been improved, that's fixed about half a kilometre out of 100 kms Porirua-Levin.How about the tortuous winding road through Pukerua Bay, or the 80k Coast Road, or the bad intersection at Paekakariki, and the next bit up to McKay's!Then, leaving Paraparaumu over that ancient overbridge, narrow and bumpy, then past total ballsup of an intersection at Lindale, then the bloody dangerous corner at Otaihanga intersection where this latest fatality happened!Then the narrow dippy underpass before Waikanae, and the double sets of lights in the township - this is State Highway Number One, remember!Then at the northern end of the Te Horo straight, another bumpy windy bit before the Te Horo township!Then, Otaki, that dog of a roundabout, not to mention the idiotic pedestrian crossing in town, both of these creating HUGE bottlenecks for holiday traffic!Then the killer overpass and bridge at the northern end of the Manakau straight!The approaches have been modified but the o'pass and bridge are diabolical;then yet another narrow windy bit around Ohau, scene of numerous crashes, and finally the straight to Levin. Of course, it doesn't stop there, the whole Highway One right through to Taupo still has many bad spots.They patch up the worst bits, that's all. Compare Auckland to Hamilton, largely four-lane divided highway all the way to Huntly - that distance is about equal to Wellington - Levin.I rest my case.
romulan7,
Jan 1, 1:21pm
The Highways Authority Contractors.
trogedon,
Jan 1, 5:24pm
I've NEVER owned a mobile phone either (don't want to but could probably borrow one at the time) and so can't just text or phone the hospital to say our sick child will be late by 5 hours or the plane to Mongolia will have to cool it's heels on the runway for 5 hours longer. There was still a clear side of the road that could have been used for traffic to move on - that would not have disturbed the "crime" scene.
chris_051,
Jan 1, 8:27pm
Or hows about improve standard of driving! The whole of SH1 is a joke except maybe the Waikato express way, if people aren't competent enough to drive on it they should stay the bloody hell away, otherwise we get scenes like this. This should be a good enough excuse to close both those passing lanes south of Waikanae, they serve no purpose and bottle neck the traffic on busy days.
smac,
Jan 1, 10:47pm
The bit you're missing is the length of minimum 3m wide highway lane that stretches the length of the country, that can be driven safely by somebody who knows how to steer and brake at appropriate times, and who knows how to stay out of the way of on coming traffic. The fact remains that if you lose control on SH1, or cross the centre line and hit something, you're a complete muppet who who should not be driving. No exceptions. Using the road as an excuse for losing control, or speeding just doesn't wash.
sandndude,
Jan 1, 11:03pm
Take the Moron out of the motorist and we wont need road closures or barriers, iv'e used that road regular at Otaihanga for some 35yrs and it's only recently there have been accidents there, drivers just need to be more responsable instead of getting the state to make it safe for them. There is really only one cause for a motor vehicle accident thats mechanical failure ,everything else is poor driving.
wrong2,
Jan 2, 12:05am
id include medical conditions
cjdnzl,
Jan 2, 12:14am
agreed, a safe driver has the capability to negotiate our roads, but not all drivers feel safe at 100kmh, hence they travel at slower speeds, but speed up where the road widens at passing lanes, much to the annoyance of following traffic.It's also known that the end of a passing lane is inherently dangerous for those who can't instinctively process the speed/distance calculations in their heads, thus running out of road, and trying to force their way into the left lane.It only takes the driver/s in the left lane to get a bit bloody-minded about letting him in for there to be a perilous situation.This apparently is what happened at the Otaihanga Road accident. BTW, not all of SH1 is minimum 3 metres wide either.There are stretches (particularly at the Wellington end) where the road is old and constrained by surrounding features that preclude widening the road to modern standards, e.g. the section just south of McKay's Crossing.I have followed large trucks along that piece of road, where the truck's left wheels are running on the white line, and the right-hand wheels are almost on the centre line, leaving the driver with no more than six inches of room in the lane.I believe the Coast Road south of Paekakariki was built to 8 feet width back in the 1940s.It was recently widened, but I don't know if it is now 3 metres or not.
elect70,
Jan 2, 1:38am
4 lane hiway wont solve thedelays,regardless ofamount of vehiclesor injuriesdue to accident,the police investigation still close alllanes in that direction for at least 4 hourslong after EMS have gone. A double fatal north of Levin year ago took them 8 hoursluckily there was a detour .
smac,
Jan 2, 4:33am
Ya whatever, some of it might be closer to 2.5.doesn't change the point I made.
I just hope the tossers that think using passing lanes in bumper to bumper traffic will get them there faster take themselves out (as appears to have happened in this case) and not me.
elect70,
Jan 7, 11:17pm
Can some one explain the accident, local paper dork reporter said both vehicles traveling south , &people in the fordinjured & 2 others killed, were they in the othervehicle . Didnt say what vehicles were , is this new PC reportingso as not upsetcarindustry by naming makes /models
Why do they give fuckwits such exposure. Nothing wrong with the road, if they are going to barrier that one then what about all the other high volume stretches around the country. End of the day the tosser in the Honda wanted to be at the lights in Pram a good 3 seconds earlier, we can all be grateful the family in the Holden survived and another dickhead impatient driver wont be on ours roads to endanger us anymore.
jmma,
Jan 7, 11:44pm
Agree. I see it all the time, driving my little truck at 100ks and everyone needs to pass me, even at the ends of passing lane. All to get one vehicle ahead and home as you say, 3 secs earlier.
hyphen,
Jan 8, 12:04am
exactly, I've had the same -when ever I drive the Daihatsu Sirion, everybody has to pass the 'small' car. So what happens , I am cruising along the motorway at 100 kph and get passed by impatient drivers who follow, then speed up and pass, then hook in front of me and continue at 100kph or less. I just imagine that they are in a hurry to get back to their grotty house in a shitty suburb to be with their fat ugly spouse and annoying, screaming kids, so hahaha.
neville48,
Dec 30, 8:48am
when are we going to stop blocking a main highway for hours and hours for up to 10kms because someone has died in a car accident. No disrespect to anyone involved or family etc but it is just ludicrous that a main north/south highway ,with no alternative route available can be affected like this,mainly I think you will find is because the inspecter of accidents is on holiday in the sounds and has to be helicoptered out to the scene etc etc or something similar. Come on, where are we !
romulan7,
Dec 30, 9:29am
Obviously you have never attended the scene of a serious crash and then had to follow this through in a coroners and criminal court! Not only that but the emergency services have the right to close the road to protect the scene and prevent injury to the personel involved. The fact it is the only route is completely irrelevant.
neville48,
Dec 30, 9:36am
First two points absolutely correct but the third point, the only route is completely relevant. the emergency services are usually done within the hour,and a fantastic job they do under the circumstances, but from there on in its the tape measure brigade, we have cameras and lasers to do most of that in this modern age surely. Its a main arterial route through New Zealand, 10kms plus of back-up etc, we must be doing something "not right"
master-trader,
Dec 30, 9:40am
Driving to the conditions is one
romulan7,
Dec 30, 9:43am
The process of gathering evidence does not change the technology yes but the pace at which it is done no.
romulan7,
Dec 30, 9:44am
Would have prevented the road closure
master-trader,
Dec 30, 9:50am
More importantly it would have preventedthe loss of lives. I wasn't there as the accident occurred and don't know the facts 100%, but from what I have read/heard I understand it to be driver fault . Apologies if I'm wrong and there was a legitimate cause that was beyond the control of anyone involved.too often though we see senseless tragedies where something as 'simple' as driving to the conditions would have been the answer. I'm not claiming to be a perfect driver either, I made an error or two
swivel,
Dec 30, 9:54am
Why close the roads. Just let the car full of kids (with parents) drive by and see the DEATH / BLOOD / GUTS,
Hope your kids get to see the bad points.
When you have to put your hand over an open wound bleeding, then you might get the Idea why to stop people looking.
And in todays times, they would be videoing it, just to put on youtube.
romulan7,
Dec 30, 10:22am
Neville 48!I would suggest you head along to speak with the Chief Fire Officer at Levin Fire Station about becoming a Volunteer Firey.Maybe then you will understand a bit better what happens at serious crashes and the effects it has on those invloved.
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