30kph speed zones rolled out in Mid Canterbury
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The rollout of 30kph school speed zones is complete, but one Ashburton District councillor hopes there isn’t a rise in speed infringements as a result.
There has been some frustration with the introduction of the reduced speed around schools, and councillor Richard Wilson is concerned about a potential increase in motorists being fined for exceeding the 30kph limits the council has introduced.
Wilson was worried that because the permanent speed variation was implemented before the council could roll out variable speed signage to all schools immediately, it would be catching out motorists.
“Someone caught doing 42kph at 10pm past a school is not the spirit of why were are going to 30kph,” Wilson said.
The speed limit was now legally set at 30kph and motorists needed to adapt to the change, chief executive Hamish Riach said.
The speed zones were introduced to increase safety for school children.
Council data last year showed that the median speed on the district's urban streets was around 35kph.
The limits will be reviewed in future, with a view to potentially adding variable signs to the urban zones as funds become available.
Variable speed signs cost about $10,000 each, road manager Mark Chamberlain said.
A minor delay with the urban rollout was down to having nothing to hold them up as across the country there had been a lack of aluminium poles for the signs, Chamberlain said.
The signs are now all in place at urban schools, as well as at Lauriston and Dorie as the two rural schools have low traffic volumes outside of school drop-off and pick up and the average speed data showed it was close to 30kph anyway.
At the rural schools, the variable signs are in place at Longbeach School, Lagmhor School, Carew Peel Forest School, and Wakanui School.
The only two sites yet to have the 30kph zones implemented are under Waka Kotahi jurisdiction - with 30kph variable speed limits planned for the front of the three Methven schools and Ashburton Borough on SH77.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
⚠️ 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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62.2% Summer
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36.3% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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!
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