Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / James Smith: National Road Carriers Policy & Advocacy Manager on Desert Road closing for two months

Transcript

James Smith: National Road Carriers Policy & Advocacy Manager on Desert Road closing for two months · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Truck.
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  Speaker 2: He's won our Roads to harden up calling for concrete
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: on busy sections of State Highway over Asheville, Ashvilt and You.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Report launched by Transport Minister Simeon Brown, shows concrete roads
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: are well suited for high intensity traffic and are more
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: cost effective in the long run, though they do cost
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  Speaker 2: more upfront. Maintenance costs can be up to sixty two
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  Speaker 2: percent less. James Smith is with the National Road Carriers Union.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: He's with US Live this morning. James, good morning to you.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Good morning Ryan.
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  Speaker 2: Good to have you on the show. Obviously, you guys
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: would like a bit more concrete.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: We want better roads. Ryan, that's always a good thing.
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  Speaker 2: Where exactly would concrete help.
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  Speaker 1: I think concrete helps where you've got high volumes of traffic,
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  Speaker 1: especially traffic that's got some weight to it. And because
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: concrete gives us a far more resilient road, it gives
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: us a much lower cost over the life total life
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: of the road. And that's that's I think the significant
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: change in direction we're seeing from this government. They're starting
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: to look at what is the long term cost implications
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  Speaker 1: of a decision, rather than the previously held view of
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  Speaker 1: the what can we do for the lowest cost.
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  Speaker 2: Now paper over and then literally fill in the cracks
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  Speaker 2: every five minutes. Can you go faster?
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Correct?
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  Speaker 2: Can can big heavy vehicles go faster on concrete too?
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: No? Not no, We're not not so worried about that.
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  Speaker 1: But what it does do is it potentially it removes
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: that continual need to fix potholes, so you know you've
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: got and again it's not going to work everywhere because
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  Speaker 1: you know New Zealand's got challenging topography. But where it
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: will work, I think it should be seriously looked at.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: And it sounds like Simon Brown's going to be doing that.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Is at a conference today, Hey what about the desert
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  Speaker 2: road closing for two months? I suppose it's got to
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  Speaker 2: be done, absolutely, and.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: It's been well signaled, Like we've known about this since
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: gosh would have been August, and it's part of that
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  Speaker 1: renewals program that started off at t RAL making it
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: way all the way through to WAYUU, so well signaled.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: There's plenty you know, there's alternatives to do, and it's
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  Speaker 1: going to end up with a much better finish in
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  Speaker 1: the end.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Brilliant James, Thanks very much for being on the program.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Appreciate your time James Smith with the National Road Carriers Union.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: to news talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
• 2:54
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