Chch dark(er) sky
Hi all, over time I have noticed the replacement of horrid orange/yellow sodium discharge lamps used as streetlights, with energy efficient LED ones, has noticeably reduced the light pollution across large parts of Chch. On Monday night I setup a camera to capture a night sky scene, and the attached photo is the result - it is the Great Nebula in Carina. Captured from my home in Mairehau I've not been able to capture this much detail of the night sky above Chch before, so it's awesome to see. As the last remaining stretches of road with those horrid sodium lamps receive new LED lights I believe the light pollution will drop even further - currently where I live in Mairehau has seen a 25-30% drop in artificial light luminance since 2018, a fantastic result - credit to CCC for deciding to upgrade the street lighting.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Cyclists forced to use ‘more dangerous’ crossing if cycleway closed
Closing a Christchurch cycleway to avoid an unsafe rail crossing will lead cyclists across an even “more dangerous” crossing, cycling advocates say.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has weighed in on the issue, calling the move to shut a 1.5km section of the Heathcote Expressway for up to two years, “illogical”. He has asked KiwiRail to explain.
KiwiRail is demanding Christchurch City Council close part of the expressway until $6.5 million worth of safety improvements can be made to the Scruttons Rd rail crossing.
It said the “unsafe” crossing posed the risk of death or serious injury once every thousand years.
What do you do think? Read the full story by reporters Sinead Gill and Tina Law here and tell us what you think in the comments. (A subscription is required, but you can see two free articles a month).
Peonys Saturday 2nd Nov
Hi all...Sorry have run out of peonys today. Will update on here as soon as some bunches arrive at Oakland Street tomorrow