A solution to help foreign drivers (From Hereford Times)

A solution to help foreign drivers

3:40pm Saturday 27th June 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

I WAS reading about the local farmer dying in an accident with a foreign driver in a large truck.

I returned from New Zealand recently, where they have a solution which helps considerably with the problem of foreign drivers on the wrong side of the road.

On every lay-by and tourist attraction they paint an arrow on the road in each direction reminding drivers on which side of the road to drive.

Also in New Zealand provision is made for slow vehicles to pull over every few miles. The A49 Hereford to Shrewsbury road is a good example of where this could be used to advantage. There would be at least 20 areas where an extra lane could be constructed with little cost as the verge is plenty wide enough to allow an extra lane.

Leading on to the state of the roads, the roads in recent years have not been sealed (tar/chips) to keep the water out and the next thing you have is a pothole. The manhole covers in the roads cause the water to penetrate into the surface and very soon there is a problem.

As 95% of manholes are never used the best thing would be to tarmac over them. If they were needed, a metal detector could be used.

All simple stuff, not rocket science. It seems to me the road and maintenance planners would be better employed rounding up cattle in Australia.

E R EDWARDS, Felton, Hereford