Traffic management cone overkill ‘could get worse’
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A perceived road cone overkill may not come to an end any time soon.
Councillors have been warned a change in traffic management philosophy may not reduce the amount of cones on Ashburton streets.
Instead, it could get worse, council chief executive Hamish Riach cautioned.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s regional relationships manager, James Caygill, told the Ashburton District Council there is “a transition from one regime for traffic management to another one” in New Zealand.
In the past there had been an "exceptionally prescriptive'' approach, he said.
That was transitioning to a risk-based approach instead.
“They will no longer have the ‘there must be X cones’, so you should see over time a transition.”
Councillors had initially taken it as positive news to counteract the public’s perception of road cone overkill.
But Riach warned that a shift to a risk-based approach could put costs up.
“It will be saying 'have you done everything to mitigate the risk', and when contractors turn their mind to that question, they may decide to do more, not less.”
Council’s infrastructure and open spaces manager Neil McCann said the council was still waiting to see what impact the new approach would have.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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