Matt’s Monologue (Matt Holl is a former member of the Raglan Community Board.)
I recently read a report about concern over traffic congestion at Wainui Rd’s one-lane bridge. The only reason the traffic works on that bridge is through courtesy, which is often, in fact, in breach of the road code.
If a traffic counter was installed at the bridge three days before Christmas and removed at around January 16 the average daily traffic count during the holiday period would be the highest possible recording and create a greater chance of qualifying for a taxpayer roading subsidy for upgrade work.
Some years back I had a traffic counter installed during the Christmas holiday period and, as co-incidence would have it, Raglan enjoyed an undisrupted spell of fine weather over the New Year holiday period.
The town was so busy that, as in softball parlance, all the bases were loaded. It was the busiest holiday period I have witnessed.
The daily traffic count over Wainui bridge averaged just under 10,000 vehicle movements per day. In those far off bygone days the average daily traffic count on State Highway 1 through Ngaruawahia was approximately 12,000 vehicles a day.
Matt Holl
Raglan
