Ashburton roadworks: Thumbs up over quick job
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Roadworks completed on time have had some Ashburton businesses praising the contractors.
Businesses have suffered from lengthy road works in Mid Canterbury over the past few years, but it wasn’t the case in the Ashburton suburb of Netherby.
Business owners located next to the Netherby roundabout on Chalmers Ave have praised Ashburton District Council contractors Fulton Hogan for their speed in completing the upgrade.
Netherby Meats owner Mike Hanson said they had been told it would take up to 10 days and the cones were removed on Monday morning after just seven days.
“A job done well and in quick time.
“Business was half the trade last week and it was back [to] flat out on Monday morning.
“The contractors were great, got in and got the job done and have done a good job, so [I'm] really happy.”
Four Square Netherby Owner Kim Woods was also thankful it was only a week of interruption.
“The roundabout needed to be done.
“It definitely impacted business for the short time it was being down, but thankful to Fulton Hogan got it done as quickly as they could.”
Woods couldn’t imagine how hard it was for the likes of the Tinwald businesses that dealt with road works for a year while the traffic lights were being installed on State Highway 1.
Council group manager infrastructure and open spaces Neil McCann said the thicker structural asphalt going down at the two roundabouts was designed to cope better with increased traffic volumes and heavy traffic.
“The road surface at both roundabouts should last for 20 years.”
The upgrades are future-proofing for the proposed second bridge, which will connect to the southern end of Chalmers Ave, and the two roundabouts are the main turn-off points towards State Highway 1.
The cost of the two roundabout improvements was $330,000.
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 ❤️