Raft of speed changes proposed for West Coast roads
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Almost every urban area on the West Coast is included in a raft of speed reduction proposals - some to as low as 30kph.
Under a newly released draft regional speed management plan for the region entire villages like Blackball and Moana will have their current 50kph limit reduced to 30kph.
The Greymouth CBD is already down to 30kph.
But more of its suburban streets will drop around its school zones.
The draft proposes a wider blanket application of 30kph on more streets in the wider vicinity, rather than straight outside, the Blaketown, Cobden, John Paul II/St Patricks, Grey Main, Gremouth High School and Karoro schools sites.
This is in line with every one of the West Coast's 29 school zones being changed.
Submissions on the draft West Coast Regional Speed Management Plan have opened, with the end date being April 5.
The draft plan under the West Coast Regional Transport Committee (RTC) encompasses about 1900km of local roads controlled by the three district councils.
It also nods to the State highway network administered by the NZ Transport Agency and some roads administered by the Department of Conservation.
The draft identifies high priority local roads and high priority areas across the three districts to be part of the national Speed Management Plan.
However the timing for the draft's proposals is now uncertain following the new Government signalling its intention to change the settings of the Transport Policy Statement, including the mandatory settings for speed management, and the minister of transport having the final say.
In January the RTC decided to press ahead with public submissions anyway.
RTC chairperson Peter Ewen said today the final shape of the Government's signalled new transport policy impacting the draft's proposals is still "a $64,000 question".
However the scrapping of mandatory speed reductions from 100kph to 80kph on some State highways was a fair indication.
Ewen said the changed policy landscape is likely to be a hot topic at an upcoming meeting of South Island regional transport sector group next month.
"We've got to see what happens in the next 100 days."
The draft says 1099 people responded to a regional community transport survey from October December 2022, informing the draft plan.
Nearly 90% of the respondents considered the Road to Zero policy aim for speed reductions to be important or very important.
Respondents considered Road to Zero "as the most crucial strategic direction" compared to the options in the survey of zero carbon and emissions reductions, climate change, natural hazard resilience, and economic development.
High priority roads/areas under the proposal:
- Grey District: Blackball and Moana (30), Sumner Road at Gladstone (30).
- Westland: parts of Kumara, Arahura Pa, Hokitika, Ross and Franz Josef all down to 30.
- Buller: Kohaihai Road in Karamea (60), Little Wanganui (40), Gentle Annie (60/30), Powerhouse Road at Fairfield (60), Westport Palmerston Street (30), Omau at Cape Foulwind (60), Nile/Okari near Charleston (40/60).
It also includes speed reductions from 100kph to 20kph on three Department of Conservation controlled roads in Buller.
⚠️ 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 ❤️
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Whether it’s a playhouse, she shed or teenager’s sleepout, a stencil-painted floor in Resene Clockwork Orange will elevate it from meh to wow. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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