Time restrictions to be added to Ashburton’s 30kph school zones
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
30kph speed limits imposed around Ashburton’s schools are to become time-restricted but only after new laws kick in.
The Ashburton District Council has decided slower limit will apply on school days 8.30am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
Permanent 30kph urban school speed zones were introduced in July last year but after just one month, Ashburton mayor Neil Brown called for a review, claiming they were not working.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has since announced the Government is to amend the setting of speeds law, including allowing variable speed limits on roads approaching schools during pick-up and drop-off times, rather than permanent reductions.
The council has resolved to enforce the variable limit once the Government makes the changes to permit the signs.
Councillor Richard Wilson had been keen to “correct the mistake” by making the change immediately, and not wait for the Government changes.
There are similar signs already in use elsewhere in the country, Wilson said.
“To put them up now, people understand it, and we all believe that is the law,” he said.
Council chief executive Hamish Riach explained it would be encouraging residents to break the law, as the 30kph would still be the legal speed limit until the law is changed.
The recommended option had been for the speed limits to be restricted to school days between 8.30am and 3.30pm.
Councillor Russell Ellis supported that, wanting to put "child safety over and above a small amount of inconvenience for some of our drivers".
His motion for the daytime restrictions didn’t get enough support from the other councillors.
Councillor Tony Todd said he lives close to two schools and assured the other councillors there “is very little action” outside the school drop off and pick up times.
“During the day all the kids are basically in the grounds.”
The all-day time frame would be overreaching, Wilson said.
It can happen, but “children don’t just run out on the road”, he said.
“All our roads have very good footpaths on them, and that is where you walk.”
With the signage timings sorted, Brown now wants further consideration and consistency in where the signs are placed.
“I’ve heard some are placed well and others are placed too far away from the school. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern in them,” Brown said.
The signs are placed by the best judgment of staff based on access to the school and can be considered in a further review once the speed limits have been in place for a year, Chamberlain said.
*LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps 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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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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