By Jean Dorrell (Hamilton ratepayer and retired accountant)
I was driving, looking for a street I hadn’t been to before on the west side of the river when I noticed that the driver in front of me was zig-zagging across the road like he was on a slalom course. I was concerned he may be intoxicated so I slowed down to increase the distance between us. He slowed down as well.
Then bang! And thump! My head almost hit the car roof as my car went down and up and down and up. I realised the driver in front of me was not drunk. He just knew the best driving path to avoid the worst of the potholes. And I realised that I also drive like this on Heaphy Terrace and Hukanui Road, two roads which I frequent often enough to know all the potholes (although new ones appear regularly and the abundance of road cones mean I am always zig-zagging anyway).
Ironically, potholes actually work quite well as traffic calming measures. If there are enough of them, all local drivers will drive at 30 kmph or less. And non-local drivers will be slowed down by the folk who know the road and want to protect their car. Maybe this is the HCC plan.
I have noticed many potholes appearing near the speed bumps, especially the new speed bumps. The car goes up, the car goes down. If you’re looking for a secure profession in Hamilton, I would suggest considering wheel alignment.
[The content of any Opinion pieces represents the views of the author and the accuracy of any content in a post labelled Opinion is the responsibility of the author. Posting of this Opinion content on the CityWatch NZ website does not necessarily constitute endorsement of those views by CityWatch NZ or its editors. CityWatch NZ functions to provide information and a range of different perspectives on New Zealand’s cities and local councils. If you disagree with or dispute the content, CityWatch NZ can pass that feedback on to the author. Send an email to feedback@citywatchnz.org and clearly identify the content and the issue.]
Further reading on this issue
What are the disadvantages and negative impacts of “traffic calming”?
