Changes to State Highway 2 at Belmont
Anyone else narked by the NZ Transport Agency's plans for SH2 between the Pomare/Wairere Rds intersection and Belmont lights (advert on pg 44 of yesterday's Hutt News)? From May 19, the intention is to close off to all traffic except cyclists the inside lane northbound into Belmont, except for a 40m stretch for vehicles entering SH2 from Pomare/Wairere, and 80m before the turnoff into Grounsell Cres at the Belmont lights.
The two main SH2 lanes at this point are already clogged with traffic in the evening rush hour. Now the many hundreds of drivers who intend turning off at Belmont, and those who use the Belmont lights/Grounsell to turn back south, will have to queue with SH2 through traffic, and add to the general congestion. The given reason is because some drivers queue jump heading north by taking the Grounsell on and off-ramps.
Hot on the heels of dropping the bombshell news that a Melling interchange is off the books until at least 2028, never mind all the congestion that's coming our way with Transmission Gully and SH58 with the Petone-Grenada route kicked to touch, NZTA seems to want to add to the northbound congestion in the afternoons and evenings. So we're all held to ransom by a few rat-runners who abuse the Grounsell Cres turn-offs, who are described as posing a safety risk. Yet when another daft idea was proposed more than a year ago to close off Grounsell's northern highway off ramp (thankfully dropped), investigations showed Grounsell actually had quite a reasonable safety record.
I'd like to know what others think?
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Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.6% Yes
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13.2% No
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1.2% Other - I'll share below
scumbags
There are some really awful people around at the moment. This is what happened on Sunday.
We live in Hinemoa Street opposite the Waiwhetu Stream. At around 3.40 in the afternoon I was looking out my window and saw a car pull up and start to feed the geese and ducks out the window. Then The passenger an asian man jumped out and threw himself onto a goose. he picked it up and put it the boot of the car.
I immediately ran over and stood in front of his car to stop him moving I also called my husband to help. A lovely man was riding his bike and saw it and stopped to help me. The driver tried to drive into me but I didnt move. He tried telling us it was his pet. These are wild geese.
They had a cage in the boot and some wire all ready to catch the poor bird like they have done it before. My husband took the bird from the car and released it. I then moved out of the way and after lots of abuse from the driver they drove off threatening to come back and get more.
No one should be allowed to take these beautiful birds and certainly not like this. they are all starting to have wee babies at the moment the whole thing was so upsetting to me. Another neighbour further down the road also saw it all happen.
Please keep a look out for this car and if you see them by the stream go over and watch them lets all stop this happening.
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