In Transit - April 1996 No. 72 - Trialling salt on the Desert Road - lowest quarterly road toll since 1979

 The April 1996 edition of In Transit included the following articles:

• Transit NZ trialling use of salt on the Desert Rd (SH1) over winter to keep it open from ice
• New approval process for National Roading Programme released by Transfund Establishment Board. This approves road maintenance and passenger transport subsidies first, before approving capital spending, advisory, audit and contract management funding.
• Testing of the SH1 Wellington Thorndon Motorway viaduct earthquake strengthening proves refit significantly improved its resilience against a major earthquake.
• First quarter road toll for 1996 lowest since 1979, attributed to safety advertising, increased enforcement and safety audit/black spot investigations on the road network.
• Report published on the engineering challenges of building the Transmission Gully motorway, which were substantial, although no decisions had yet been made on the preferred route.
• Roadside interviews carried out of motorists about their trip patterns.