DCC Roading Chief Urges Motorists To Drive Safely

The DCC Roading staff are, once again, reminding motorists of the need for extra care on city roads as winter approaches. They are anxious that city motorists are mindful that the onset of winter brings with it a new set of hazards in addition to the usual challenges of driving safely.
DCC Transportation Operations manager, Mike Costelloe, in repeating last year’s warnings, says all road users need to remind themselves that snow and ice and fog all bring unfamiliar conditions and even the smallest and most routine trips can turn into major feats of survival – and that includes pedestrian awareness of hazardous driving conditions.

Mr Costelloe says: “There is nothing new or particularly clever in preparing ourselves for changing and more challenging road conditions. The most effective safety first measures are to observe safe winter driving rules: is your journey necessary, watch your speed, increase following distances, clear windows of ice before starting a journey - and treat everyone else on the road as though they, and not you, were the world’s worst driver!

“At the end of the day we at the DCC can only do so much to make our roads safe - the best and safest drivers are those who drive to the conditions - if for no other reason than to protect those nearest and dearest – not to mention a valuable family asset”

Once again the DCC’s roading contractors will be using Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) instead of spreading grit on selected city roads.

Motorists will be pleased to see there’s less grit on the roads. We trialled CMA in 2006 and again last year and will be repeating the exercise again this winter.”

The roads receiving treatment are: Three Mile Road, Taieri Road, Maori Road, Glen Road, Fea Street, MacLaggan Street, Brockville Road, Stuart Street (Nairn to Octagon) – a total of 38.59 kilometres.

CMA is a chemical which, when mixed with water and sprayed on road surfaces, prevents ice forming.

CMA requires no time-consuming or costly, clean up and, unlike grit, it doesn’t block drains.