News 4
Ashburton Guardian
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Friday, May 20, 2016
■ ASHBURTON SCHOOL BUSES
Sign delay brings benefits By RuBy HaRfield
Ruby.h@theguaRdian.co.nz
A delay in the arrival of safety signs for Mid Canterbury school buses has ended up being beneficial. Speed limit signs were due to be installed on small school buses in the district at the beginning of Term 2 as part of a national trial to ensure motorists slow down. This is the second stage of the “Either Way It’s 20k” trial which was launched in 2013 and involves smaller signs (300m diameter) being displayed on the smaller school buses to remind motorists to slow down to 20km/h when passing a stationary school bus. The first stage involved three
parts – monitoring speed, creating an awareness campaign and adding flashing LED 20km/h signs (400m diameter) to 30 larger buses in the district. Transport Engineering Research NZ (TERNZ) managing director Peter Baas, who is helping with the trial, said the delay in the signs’ arrival was caused by having to get parts from overseas as well as redeveloping the design to make them stand out more and be more cost effective. The signs have now been made and are on their way to Ashburton but it will still be a few months before they are installed. This is due to the monitoring of the speeds past the buses without signs still needing to be completed, he said.
“We’ve got to do that before we put the new signs on.” The smaller upgraded signs will also be trialled on the bigger buses. “We will compare the performance of the big signs versus the little signs.” A NZ Transport Agency spokesperson said these new signs (300m diameter) are slightly bigger than the ones that were trialled on the smaller school buses during the first stage of the trial. The first small signs (250mm diameter) were not as effective as the bigger signs for the bigger buses so have been redesigned at this slightly bigger size. The 300mm diameter sign also has larger numerals and the trial will test the flashing roundel, in-
stead of flashing corner lights on smaller buses. “The trial of the medium-sized signs will help to further improve the effectiveness and reduce the cost of the signs, including the larger ones.” Once the smaller signs have been installed they will be trialled for at least a term, with speeds being monitored, before the data from both stages is sent to government for consideration. If approved, signs could be installed on all school buses in the country. The trial is a partnership between TERNZ, the Ashburton District Council, Pearson’s Coachlines, New Zealand Rural Women and other authorities with funding from the Road Safety Trust.
Car regos down The average motor vehicle levy will fall from about $195 to around $130 per vehicle from July 1, it has been confirmed. ACC Minister Nikki Kaye yesterday confirmed the new ACC annual licence levies that owners of light vehicles – cars, vans, utes and SUVs – will pay from July. The levy is part of the “rego” vehicle licensing fee. Ms Kaye said the average levy, which includes the licence levy and petrol levy, would fall by 33 per cent. “It will save New Zealanders $218 million, and follows $438 million of cuts to motor vehicle levies last year,” Ms Kaye said. “This means the average motor vehicle levy has fallen from $330 to $130 since 2014.” ACC now uses a new system to assign a “risk rating” to each brand of car and charge motorists less for driving safer cars. - NZME
In brief Charged over robbery A man has been arrested and charged over an armed robbery at Mobil Ashburton. The man was arrested on Wednesday night in Christchurch, by Christchurch Police acting on information from Ashburton Police CIB staff. Police allege the man entered the service station at about 8.30pm last Friday night and presented a knife at a staff member, before demanding cash.
In the Mood concert The Mid Canterbury Choir is gearing up for its In the Mood concert on May 29, with guest artists Olivia Stewart and Luke Glendining. In its first concert of the year, the choir and guests will feature a selection of songs from well-known shows and films including Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Evita, The Lion King, West Side Story and Phantom of the Opera. Kathy McKimmie takes the stand for her first concert as musical director, though she has been a member of the choir since its formation in 2003. The concert will be at the Sinclair Centre on Park Street, starting at 2pm. Tickets are $15 and available from choir members or at the door.
Drugs seizure Police have confiscated an estimated $4.3 million worth of psychoactive substances during the largest seizure of synthetic drugs last week. Around 173kg of illegal substances were seized during a large scale operation into synthetics by Canterbury police. A seizure of this amount translates to an estimated street value of between $3.4 and $4.3 million. During the operation, police searched 12 addresses across Christchurch which also resulted in over $2.5 million dollars’ worth of assets being frozen. - NZME
■ CROSSING THE BRIDGE
A celebration of cultural diversity v
An exhibition with a difference was being set up at Baring Square East yesterday. Crossing the Bridge is a photography and film exhibition which will open in the square, under the clock tower, tomorrow to coincide with Unesco’s World Day for Cultural Diversity. The project has been led by Mauritian anthropologist Sophie-Claire Violette (left) and Belgian photographer Petra Mingneau (right), who had plenty of helpers lending a hand with set-up yesterday, including Bo Geldof (centre). The exhibition features some 22 migrants who now call Ashburton home. The exhibition will run for 10 days and is free of charge. PHOTO TETSURO MITOMO 190516-TM-0024
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Body in reserve The body of a 27-year-old man was found in a Christchurch reserve yesterday morning. A member of the public found the body at Goulding Reserve in Hornby. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and they were not looking for anyone else in relation to the death. The death has been referred to the coroner. - NZME
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