St John's Health Shuttle
Hi everyone
I just want to send out a shout out to the folk who organise and run the St John's Health Shuttle in North Canterbury. I'm in my forties and due to a heart condition have been unable to drive for three months. The Health shuttle has been a wonderful service with great volunteers I have been able to fall back on when friends have been unavailable to get me to medical appointments. They go above and beyond with door to door service (so no parking hassles) one way or both directions as needed, from Amberley south to Christchurch and everywhere in between. I have used them to get to radiology appointments as well as hospital appointments and they will take people to local appointments too; they also do post-hospital stay pick-ups. I have observed volunteers actually take passengers into their appointments in wheelchairs (as appropriate) to ensure safe handover to medical staff and to ensure the best care for passengers. In return they just ask for a donation to contribute towards petrol but this does not need to be paid on the day of use if you are financially challenged or using them frequently. You book by 2pm the previous day needed through North Canterbury Citizen's Advice Bureau but would recommend you book earlier as there are limited seats and they only run if they have bookings. Depending on passengers' appointments there may be waiting time but the one time this happened to me meant having a coffee at South City and getting some shopping done while there, so no great hardship. It would be great to think the word of this service could be spread so please share this post with friends and family.
Resin
This pergola post is leaking resin after 5 yrs! How can l remove it as very tacky & seal it to stop happpening in future.
Have your say on Canterbury’s public transport
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Canterbury residents are being encouraged to have their say on public transport in the region.
Environment Canterbury has released its draft public transport plan and is seeking submissions.
The draft plan outlines a vision for public transport in the region and notes key priorities such as improving the environment, growing patronage, accessibility, innovation and technology, and affordability.
‘‘Public transport takes many forms with communities across our region,’’ councillor Peter Scott said.
‘‘With limited funding available, we need to make sure we make the best decisions to deliver a public transport network that is integrated with urban development, innovative and meets the needs of new and existing customers.
‘‘Effective public transport is the lifeline that connects us to work, school, recreation and our friends and family, so it is important we get this right.’’
The Canterbury’s population is growing and by 2050, it is projected 700,000 people will be living in Greater Christchurch.
The draft plan covers public transport for the region, which includes the Metro service (Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri), MyWay by Metro in Timaru, Total Mobility and Community Vehicle Trusts.
It was developed in partnership with local councils and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Environment Canterbury has been planning to step up its public transport efforts by increasing the frequency of existing services and introducing mass rapid transport in Greater Christchurch.
But these plans have been stalled by a lack of public transport funding in the Government’s 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
A proposal to allow people to travel with domestic pets is also included in the draft plan.
Having pets on buses has been successfully trial in other parts of New Zealand, councillor Joe Davies said.
‘‘We’re keen to understand what controls are needed for our bus users in Greater Christchurch and Timaru to be comfortable with pets on public transport.
It is proposed to allow adult passengers to bring a single pet on board, as long it is in an approved carrier at off-peak times, weekdays between 9am and 3pm or after 6pm, and during weekends.
Another proposal would loosen those restrictions in future to allow for leashed and muzzled dogs and increasing the limit to two pets per passenger.
‘‘We want to gauge how people feel about these proposals. Now is the time to have your say,’’ Davies said.
Submissions close on Thursday, October 24.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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