Kaiapoi safety improvements long overdue – school principals
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Kaiapoi North School is hoping some much needed road safety improvements will finally happen.
The Waimakariri District Council has announced it will upgrade the pedestrian crossing and add in some safety features on Williams St, in front of the school, later this year.
Safety improvements were also completed outside Kaiapoi High School ready for the new school year.
Kaiapoi North School principal Jason Miles said the school had been lobbying the council ‘‘for a long time’’, raising concerns about speeding motorists.
Student leaders had made presentations to the council in recent years, before Miles and board of trustees chairperson Greg Thomson met with council staff last year.
‘‘We are really excited to see the council is putting in place these changes. It really has been accident waiting to happen.
‘‘The behaviour of some drivers is really concerning and it is not just at the beginning and end of the day, because we have children walking to the Kaiapoi Aquatic Centre for swimming or to the domain for sports.
‘‘And it is a safety issue for other members of the community too.’’
A council spokesperson said the safety improvements would be made in two stages, with the first stage due to be completed mid-year and stage two by the end of the year.
Work will include installing speed cushion pads to force cars to slow down as they approach the crossing, improvements to the kerb and line marking.
Stage two will involve raising of the footpath on the eastern side of the crossing to make it accessible to wheelchairs and push chairs.
Kaiapoi High School principal Jason Reid said staff were pleased to begin the year with a new pedestrian crossing and safety improvements next to the school’s main entrance on Ohoka Road.
‘‘It was a significant concern for the school and we have really appreciated the effort of the council and the contractors to get the work done for the new school year,’’ Reid said.
He said staff were out in force during the first week of school to ensure students and the public understood the new environment.
The council spokesperson said too many motorists were exceeding the 40kph speed limit (during school hours).
Work has been completed to reduce traffic speeds, while a new pedestrian crossing and concrete refuge islands added, and the painted median widened in a bid to improve pedestrian safety.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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⚠️ 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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