End of the line … Residents put the hard word on council to speed up repairs

Hughes Line residents, fed up with the dangerous conditions on their road, have sent a letter to Carterton District Council [CDC] telling them to sort it out immediately.

As New Zealand starts Road Safety Week, resident Terry Craig said the increased traffic from cars is damaging the road surface and endangering other drivers.

The frustrated locals held a meeting and then delivered a letter to the council on Friday detailing their concerns. More than 60 Hughes Line residents endorsed the letter.

“We want temporary solutions to address the immediate problems arising from the SH2 roadworks,” Craig said.

He said the state of the road could lead to potential injuries or deaths to residents, road users, and workers.

Last week he saw several vehicles shredding tyres on potholes, sometimes leaving their car protruding onto the road while the tyre was changed.

One driver shredded their tyre, and then their car fell off its jack because of the camber and poor condition of the road edge and a local had to come to the rescue with a pump jack.

Car owner Andy Rogers said the pothole did about $15,000 to his late-model car, and it would be off the road for three months.

When Rogers took his car to the tyre shop, the repair team said they’d had three or four repair cases from Hughes Line that week.

“The council told me their hands are tied because the temporary speed limits weren’t enforceable.”

“That was a solid, elite model wheel which snapped clean in two,” he said.

At a CDC meeting last Wednesday, Mayor Ron Mark said Hughes Line was too narrow for its current traffic volume.

“If there’s no sense of urgency, it’ll be too late when there is a death.”

Councillor Brian Deller said the damage would worsen dramatically if the road were not closed for proper repairs before bad weather hits.

“Close the road for a week for a remedial upgrade,” he said.

“The only alternative is to repair as is being done.”

Councillors agreed to individually lean on police to make additional safety changes to the road, including speed reduction and calming measures.

Alongside the deteriorating road condition, Hughes Line has seen an increase in dangerous driving, which Wairarapa Area Commander Inspector Scott Miller said was creating more work for police.

“People speeding through there are not necessarily stopping or giving way, and it’s quite dangerous for locals,” Miller said.

A council spokesperson confirmed receipt of the Hughes Line resdients’ letter and said it had been forwarded to police.

“We look forward to meeting with residents and listening to their concerns so that we can work together on a way forward,” the spokesperson said.

“We envisage that the ongoing work on SH2 will be completed in the next few months and look forward to the SH2 Masterton-Carterton corridor returning to normal service after an extended period of works.”

Craig said residents were pleased with the council’s responsiveness and were looking forward to the meeting.

Additional reporting by Andrew Williams

< Hughes Line residents, fed up with the dangerous conditions on their road, have sent a letter to Carterton District Council [CDC] telling them to sort it out immediately.

As New Zealand starts Road Safety Week, resident Terry Craig said the increased traffic from cars is damaging the road surface and endangering other drivers.

The frustrated locals held a meeting and then delivered a letter to the council on Friday detailing their concerns. More than 60 Hughes Line residents endorsed the letter.

“We want temporary solutions to address the immediate problems arising from the SH2 roadworks,” Craig said.

He said the state of the road could lead to potential injuries or deaths to residents, road users, and workers.

Last week he saw several vehicles shredding tyres on potholes, sometimes leaving their car protruding onto the road while the tyre was changed.

One driver shredded their tyre, and then their car fell off its jack because of the camber and poor condition of the road edge and a local had to come to the rescue

with a pump jack.

Car owner Andy Rogers said the pothole did about $15,000 to his late-model car, and it would be off the road for three months.

When Rogers took his car to the tyre shop, the repair team said they’d had three or four repair cases from Hughes Line that week.

“The council told me their hands are tied because the temporary speed limits weren’t enforceable.”

“That was a solid, elite model wheel which snapped clean in two,” he said.

At a CDC meeting last Wednesday, Mayor Ron Mark said Hughes Line was too narrow for its current traffic volume.

“If there’s no sense of urgency, it’ll be too late when there is a death.”

Councillor Brian Deller said the damage would worsen dramatically if the road were not closed for proper repairs before bad weather hits.

“Close the road for a week for a remedial upgrade,” he said.

“The only alternative is to repair as is being done.”

Councillors agreed to individually lean on police to make additional safety changes to the road, including speed reduction and calming measures.

Alongside the deteriorating road condition, Hughes Line has seen an increase in dangerous driving, which Wairarapa Area Commander Inspector Scott Miller said was creating more work for police.

“People speeding through there are not necessarily stopping or giving way, and it’s quite dangerous for locals,” Miller said.

A council spokesperson confirmed receipt of the Hughes Line resdients’ letter and said it had been forwarded to police.

“We look forward to meeting with residents and listening to their concerns so that we can work together on a way forward,” the spokesperson said.

“We envisage that the ongoing work on SH2 will be completed in the next few months and look forward to the SH2 Masterton-Carterton corridor returning to normal service after an extended period of works.”

Craig said residents were pleased with the council’s responsiveness and were looking forward to the meeting.

Additional reporting by Andrew Williams