from Doug Wheeler

THE construction of roadside barriers along State Highway 2 through the district appears to be a package of design errors.

The metal armco walls, or the wire fences, are set out close to the sealed surface, in some places on the seal and in other areas in the gravel alongside the seal.

Whereas once upon a time there was a grass verge along the side of the road, the installation of the barriers has left the space to safely pull over out of the traffic flow greatly reduced.

Any mechanical breakdown stopping a vehicle along these narrower road sections now exposes the stopped vehicle to the prospect of being hit from behind.

Should the stopped vehicle be a truck, the lane becomes effectively blocked, producing a situation that could lead to dangerous overtaking.

It is pleasing to read of the Rural Contractors Federation raising these points about the barrier placement in other parts of the country, highlighting distances of many kilometres between any areas where wider machinery is able to pull over safely to allow traffic that has built up behind, to pass.

Slower-moving tractors and harvesting machinery are large and wide (often over-width) reducing the visual line of sight in preparation if you were to try overtake.

The New Zealand Transport Agency, as controller of the state highway network, needs to re-evaluate its planning procedures with regards to barrier placement.

Why are barriers placed along sections of road with no drop-off to a steep slope, drain or other hazard.

Or, more ridiculous, is the placement of barriers in and along a cutting through a ridge.

There are often metres of grass out to the side beyond the new barriers, so why position the barrier so close to the sealed surface of the road?

These roadside barriers were planned to reduce injury or death, but their placement in some locations makes this a questionable point.

Perhaps we are to wait for another round of reports identifying the faults in the system, an allocation of funding to be made, then, one day, we may see some change to what should have been obvious in the first place.