Cr Haddock raised the problem at a recent meeting of the regional transport committee, saying the difference in maintenance standards east and west of the pass was like chalk and cheese.
"It’s like entering a different country."
On a recent trip to Christchurch with transport committee chairman Peter Ewen the pair had noticed big gaps in the side marker pegs.
When he made a second trip this week, he had counted them.
"I got the wife to drive while I counted and there are a total of 395 pegs missing or damaged between Klondike Corner and Darfield — these are essential for driving at night and it’s a real safety risk," Cr Haddock said.
On the return trip, he counted only one marker peg missing between Otira and Kumara Junction.
There was also evidence of a serious lack of maintenance east of the pass, he said,
"Every bridge and guardrail on the West Coast had a marker but there’s massive areas, like Porters Pass and the Bealey Bluffs, where there are no markers or guardrails, the subsidence is really bad ... and I challenge NZTA to have a look at that."
In comparison, the maintenance of West Coast roads had been very good recently, including the patching of seal surfaces, he said.
"It’s like driving over glass compared to the roads over the hill. They’re really substandard, so thanks for that - we are lucky."
Cr Haddock also made a plea for better-maintained areas on roadsides to allow slow vehicles to pull over and let traffic pass.
"I see this every time I drive these routes - people going through our region to look at scenic beauty, and they’re not doing 100kmh.
"There’s heaps of areas that are unmaintained on the side of the roads and trucks won’t duck in there if they going to break a spring; a campervan is not going to pull in there if it’s going to chuck everything out of their cupboards," Cr Haddock said.
This created safety risks, as traffic backed up behind slow vehicles and drivers attempted dangerous passing moves, he said.
NZTA chief adviser Ian Duncan, who joined the meeting by video link, thanked Cr Haddock for reporting marker pegs east of Arthurs Pass were missing.
"I encourage you if you see defects, file them through to us and we will make sure they go back to the contractors.
"I will follow this up. I apologise [the pegs] are not in situ and I will get to the bottom of it."
NZTA would also have a look at the question of pull-over areas, Mr Duncan said.
By Lois Williams
Local Democracy Reporter
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
