Join The Streets For People Project - Richmond

 

Additional community minded people needed by TDC for further ideas on Streets For People Project or to join their team

With the first co-designed trial separated cycle lanes about to go down on Salisbury Road, we’re now setting our sights on other neighbourhoods. To do this, we’re looking for new people from the Richmond community to join our existing working group to guide our Streets for People programme.

Last year we were granted $2.4 million from Waka Kotahi to improve spaces for safer cycling on Salisbury Road, Wensley Road, Queen Street, Hill Street and Champion Road. We plan to link places where people live with schools, commercial centres, and the wider existing network of cycle trails.

Our current working group has partnered with our traffic engineers and transport team to come up with preferred layouts on Salisbury Road, but as our focus extends to other neighbourhoods we’re looking for input from more people interested in joining the steering group.

The next phases of the Richmond Streets for People programme will include Wensley Road, then Champion Road, followed by Hill and Queen Streets.

We need a few more people to join our small, dedicated community steering group to work with our project team and come up with ideas and concepts, before we put more test layouts on the ground.

Further information is available here: https://shape.tasman.govt.nz/streets-people

If you are keen to join us in this exciting project, please get in touch with the project team at streetsforpeople@tasman.govt.nz

Tasman District Council.

Pigeon Post News, Richmond.

Check out article about new test of cycle lanes on Salisbury Rd

New Separated Cycle Lanes Being Installed on Salisbury Road

Preparations on Salisbury Rd  for the installation of new separated cycle lanes
Photo Pigeon Post

New Separated Cycle Lanes Test

Streets For People Project

The first phase of Tasman District Council’s Richmond Streets for People programme is underway with a test installation of separated cycle lanes on Salisbury Road. 

This is the beginning of a project that comes with $2.4m in Government funding that will create a network of safe walking and cycling spaces across Richmond. 

"More cones for Salisbury Rd" you might say, but this is a good test for road safety in Tasman

Another project, which received $840,000 from the Government, is underway on Māpua’s Aranui Road. 

Over the past three months, a group of community representatives have worked alongside council traffic engineers to produce their preferred designs. 

Transportation Manager Jamie McPherson says on Salisbury Road, cycle lanes that are about two metres wide are being installed on either side of the road with 800mm high plastic separators creating a distance between the vehicle lane and riders. 

The test area is between the two raised crossings outside Waimea Intermediate School. 

One of the raised crossings outside Waimea Intermediate School

Jamie McPherson says it is an exciting step forward for making our urban streets safer and delivering on the other goals of the Council’s Walking and Cycling Strategy. 

“It’s a bit like planting a tree – many of the benefits will be reaped in the future rather than immediately. The real prize we are working towards is a comprehensive, linked-up network of safe paths and cycleways.”  

To allow space for the new separated cycle lanes, the existing painted median is being narrowed. 

Jamie McPherson says changes to street layouts can be confronting for people so we expect to receive a range of feedback, which will be carefully considered in the current and future stages of the project. 

“We will install this infrastructure permanently in the future once we’ve received feedback and tweaked the layout if necessary.” 

Year 11 Garin College student Nate Wilbourne faces the traffic every day when cycling to school so signed up for the community working group to try and improve the situation. 

He says the Streets for People programme lays the foundations of safer cycling and walking into the future. 

“It’s about seeing the long game and improving the situation now for future generations.” 

Nate Wilbourne says being part of the working group has been very worthwhile. 

“Interacting with other people from the community and sharing differing perspectives to achieve a worthwhile outcome is very pleasing.” 

Nate is keen to continue as a member of the working group and is keen to encourage a few more of his college peers to join the Streets for People project. 

Salisbury Road is just the first site of the Streets for People project. Wensley Road, Queen Street, Hill Street and Champion Road will be going through a similar co-design process in the coming months. 

Once these cycle lanes have been on the road for a few weeks Tasman District Council will be asking you what you think about them.

For further details and background information, including a computer-generated video fly-through of the project visit shape.tasman.govt.nz/streets-people

The new proposed layout of Salisbury Road

The new road layout

Cycleway separated from the road

Tasman District Council

Pigeon Post News, Richmond

COMMENTS:

New comments on your post "New Separated Cycle Lanes Being Installed on Salisbury Road":

-Need to make footpaths more friendly. Ups and downs at driveways are not good news for older pedestrians even surfaces should be a priority

-Separate cycle lanes don't stop accidents. Firstly cyclists have to use the lanes and not bike in vehicle lanes.

-Hmm, high plastic separators...? Interested in what they look like and have they been tried and tested somewhere else?

-Debbie Gardner the same as outside Harvey Norman maybe? (where there have been terrible cycle accidents)

-"existing painted median is being narrowed"

Huge mistake. The median is a huge safety feature. Would be an epic fail to render it useless

-Great idea. Make that road even more useless

-Of the 2.4 million gifted to the region how much will be spent on actual end results ( beneficial work) after it's been through the councils control?

ANY MORE COMMENTS?

Restricted fire season for Marlborough

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Marlborough

A restricted fire season is now in place for all of Marlborough, effective from 8am the (16 January 2023).

District Manager, Grant Haywood says this means anyone planning on lighting an open-air fire in Marlborough will need a fire permit while the restrictions in place.

"To apply for a permit, go to checkitsalright.nz and follow the instructions," he says.

"If you have a permit you will also need to follow the conditions listed on it to ensure your fire is safe.”

Grant Haywood asks everyone to take care and think about the wildfire risks before lighting a fire or doing activities that could cause a spark.

"It’s still quite green around the Marlborough countryside, but it’s beginning to get hotter and drier, and we’ve got some warm and windy days forecast," he says.

"These conditions make it easier for a fire to get out of control and mean there’s plenty of vegetation that could fuel a fire as it dries out.

"Before you light a fire, or do an activity that could cause a spark, go to www.checkitsalright.nz and check the conditions.

"Even with a permit, anyone planning on lighting a fire should check the conditions, and hold off lighting if it is windy and hot.”

"Our check it’s alright tool will tell you if the conditions are safe, or whether you should hold off.

"If you’re doing any activities that could cause a spark, do these in the cooler parts of the day when it’s less risky.”

"One spark is all it takes, so please be vigilant and follow our safety tips to reduce the risk of a wildfire this summer."

Fire and Emergency NZ

Pigeon Post News, Richmond

MetService Weekly Forecast

High pressure may give way to a sub-tropical low

23/01/2023

Covering period of Monday 23 - Friday 27 January.

A large area of high pressure moves onto New Zealand today from the Tasman Sea, bringing fine, settled weather to most places this week, before drifting slowly eastwards.  However, MetService is keeping an eye on the sky to the north of the country, where a sub-tropical low is expected to develop.  This low is preceded by humid easterly winds, and could bring wet weather to Northland on Friday, and possibly into the weekend.

MetService Meteorologist Peter Little comments, “Computer weather models are all developing a low to the north of New Zealand on Wednesday, then moving it slowly southwards, possibly bringing heavy rain to Northland on Friday.  The models currently differ as to how far south they spread the sub-tropical moisture and rain associated with this low, so there will probably be some fine-tuning of forecasts for northern New Zealand later in the week as models come to a consensus.”

(Continued below)

High pressure brings respite following Cyclone Hale

Hints that active weather systems could develop in the tropics next week

12/01/2023

Covering period of Thursday 12 - Monday 16 January

The remnants of Cyclone Hale are moving away to the east of New Zealand today, and MetService is forecasting high pressure to bring settled conditions through the weekend.

An Orange Warning for heavy rain is in place for Waitomo and Waikato south of Hamilton until 1pm this (Thursday) afternoon. Corrigan confirms, “This is the last of the severe weather associated with Cyclone Hale before we can look forward to some more classical summery conditions with an oncoming area of high pressure.” 

 

Temperatures over the coming days are forecast to be typical for mid-January with a couple of exceptions. Cooler cloudy weather with southerlies and the odd shower is expected in eastern North Island regions with daytime highs around 20°C. Southland and Central Otago will have a hot and sunny Sunday with temperatures in the high twenties, and 30°C is currently forecast for Alexandra. 

 

Speaking of hot days, Hokitika has recorded three out of its five highest temperatures (records since 1963) in the last week thanks to sunny skies and a southeasterly Föhn wind blowing across the Southern Alps around the southern edge of Cyclone Hale. They reached 28.8°C yesterday afternoon, their third hottest temperature on record.

Our forecasters are continually monitoring the tropics, and there are hints that active weather systems could develop there next week. If any tropical weather systems do threaten to head towards the country, then MetService will have all the updates on our website and social media.

MetService Forecast for Tasman:

Friday

 13 JAN

A fine morning, apart from early showers west of Motueka. Cloud and isolated showers developing inland from afternoon, becoming cloudy everywhere in the evening. Light winds, but easterlies for Golden Bay.

Issued: 10:50am Thu 12 Jan

Saturday

 14 JAN

Mainly fine. Isolated showers about the ranges. Light winds, but easterlies at times in Golden Bay.

Issued: 9:24am Thu 12 Jan

Sunday

 15 JAN

Partly cloudy, with a few showers in the afternoon and evening. Light winds.

Issued: 10:45am Thu 12 Jan

Monday

 16 JAN

Fine, then a few showers developing in the afternoon. Light winds and sea breezes.

Issued: 10:45am Thu 12 Jan

MetService

Pigeon Post News, Richmond

Royal Mail hit by cyber incident And All US flights grounded by FAA

US flights grounded by FAA

Planes circle over New York

Planes appear to be circling JFK and Newark airports in New York as the Federal Aviation Administration deals with the glitch that is preventing planes from landing.

However, it appears some flights may be landing.

Issues with pilot notification system to blame for disruption

An IT meltdown has grounded every flight to or from and within the US in a blow to thousands of travellers.

The disruption to air travel has come after the failure of a key pilot notification system operated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Thousands of passengers have been hit by delays, and there was no estimate available for the restoration of the Notice to Air Missions system, or Notam.

It conveys urgent advisory information essential for flight operations. Tracking website FlightAware has already listed more than 1,160 US delays.

The Notam system provides airlines with real time safety information for flight planning.

The US airlines association, Airlines for America, said it has been notified about the disruptions, and that it is "working with the FAA and awaiting further information regarding when these issues will be resolved." 

An IT meltdown has grounded every flight to or from and within the US in a blow to thousands of travellers.

Latest tweet from FAA

Update 5: Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety information to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted.

We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem.

Royal Mail

Royal Mail has been left unable to send letters or parcels overseas after the postal service suffered a crippling "cyber incident” A company statement warned customers to expect delays or disruptions to packages already sent and urged others not to attempt to send mail internationally while the problems continued. 

It is understood the problem was first discovered on Tuesday morning and that staff at Royal Mail have been attempting to uncover the cause since then. 

Six sites are affected, including a huge sorting facility located next to Heathrow Airport, where most outgoing international mail is sorted before leaving the UK. 

The company, which is considered part of Britain's critical national infrastructure, is in touch with the police and at least one security service following the incident. 

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We have asked customers temporarily to stop submitting any export items into the network while we work hard to resolve the issue.

"Some customers may experience delay or disruption to items already shipped for export.

"Our import operations continue to perform a full service with some minor delays.

"Our teams are working around the clock to resolve this disruption and we will update customers as soon as we have more information.”

The National Cyber Security Centre has confirmed it is assisting the company, along with the National Crime Agency. 

Pigeon Post News, Richmond.

Restricted fire season for West Coast

 

Fire and Emergency New Zealand today the 10 January 2023 released a statement about the start of a restricted fire season for the West Coast.

All of Buller and Grey Districts are now in a restricted fire season, effective from 8am this morning (10 January).

District Manager Myles Taylor says the change in season means in these areas you will need a permit to light a fire in the open air.

"You can apply for a permit at www.checkitsalright.nz. If you have a permit, you will need to follow the conditions listed on the permit," he says. "The current hot and dry conditions mean any fires can spread very fast and can be difficult to control.”

"Check the conditions at www.checkitsalright.nz before lighting a fire and see if it is safe to do your activity. You can also find tips to do your activity safely and prevent a devastating wildfire.”

"Anyone planning to do activities that may cause a spark - like mowing, or other hot works - should do these in the cooler parts of the day when its less risky.”

People are reminded that all public conservation land on the West Coast remains in a restricted fire season all year round.

"Whether you’re holidaying or live here, please take care and do your bit to keep the West Coast safe this summer," says Myles.

Fire and Emergency NZ.

Pigeon Post News, Richmond