Speed reduction preferred
By David Hill, local democracy reporter
Reducing speeds rather than installing wire barriers is the best way to reduce fatalities, says a former Christchurch City councillor.
Mike Stevens, who served two terms on the Christchurch City Council, has been meeting landowners and businesses along State Highway 1 between Cam River, Kaiapoi, and Saltwater Creek, north of Ashley River, to hear their concerns.
"People feel like they’re not being listened to and they don’t know what to do," he said.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is proposing to install wire barriers, known as cheese graters, on the centreline.
But at a meeting with Waka Kotahi director of regional relationships, James Caygill, last month, residents realised that under the agency’s guidelines, wire barriers were not required when the speed limit was under 70kph.
Stevens advocated setting a speed limit of 60kph from Cam River, south of Pine Acres intersection, and Woodend, and then from Woodend to Ashley River.
The present speed limit was 80kph.
"There will be complaints, but I would rather see lives saved in what is one of the most dangerous intersections in New Zealand."
He also advocated stopping traffic from turning right at the Pine Acres intersection.
As a former break-down service operator, Stevens said the Pine Acres intersection was "the most profitable intersection in Canterbury".
These days Stevens passes between his property at Saltwater Creek and Christchurch along SH1 each day.
"Whatever they’ve done here has not improved it," he said while parked up in the layby just north of Pine Acres.
The layby was where truck drivers stopped to take a rest or to change drivers.
Stevens said the proposed Woodend Bypass would solve many of these problems, when it opened.
A SH1 business, which did not wish to be named, told Local Democracy Reporting they agreed with Stevens’ sentiments.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said a letter had been sent to all residents and businesses on SH1 between Saltwater Creek and Cam River at the end of last year inviting them to contact the agency if they had any concerns.
"We have received a lot of comments about our current design for safety improvements along SH1 between Saltwater Creek and Cam River.
"We are continuing to talk with our partners, undertake further investigations and consider the comments received as we work further on the design.
"We will be keeping the community informed as we progress."
Residents and businesses can still contact safetynorthcanterbury@nzta.govt.nz to share their concerns.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
New Year, Same Brain Teasers!
A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.
Yet, the police knew it was a murder.
How?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
⚠️ 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 ❤️
Loading…
