During summer of 2009, Signal Hill Road was resealed downhill of Northfield Ave (the highest side-road, 300m uphill of the Opoho bus terminus). The new seal is smooth asphalt, in contrast to the previous coarse chip surface. To residents and even casual observers at the time, it seemed an astonishing choice for a moderately steep hill street in a higher suburb. It is proving to be highly dangerous. Several crashes, including one bad square-on crash into a power pole, occurred on the day of widespread disruption following snow on 16 June 2009. (As mentioned in the following days edition of the ODT). On Monday 13 July 2009, black ice formed overnight, and the new seal on the steep section of road became too slippery even to walk across. In contrast, the part of the road on the old coarse chip (uphill of Northfield Ave) was perfectly safe to walk on, and quite safe to drive on. Several vehicles departed from properties in the coarse-chip zone and came to grief on the new 2009 seal. See photos. The Opoho bus was unable to make it all the way up the hill, and had to reverse downhill from Grandview Cres. The grit truck could not get uphill from Grandview Cres. The attached images show the carnage with skidded and crashed cars. What would possess any competent roading engineer to put a smooth asphalt surface on this road? It is patently inappropriate and dangerous. In terms of immediate safety, this road needs gritting the night before any forecast, or even possible, frosts. There need to be temporary danger signs installed for the remainder of winter, and there needs to be an urgent priority to resealing in a safe material as soon as possible. Residents and ratepayers require a better standard of planning and performance from DCC roading people, and any advisors that may have been involved in creating this entirely predictable shambles on Signal Hill Road. The present situation reflects patent incompetence and is unacceptable. See Photos 1, 2 & 3.
