Slow drive for ambulances
Helicopter service to the rescue to help St John
People who live on the Hawke’s Bay side of the Manawatu Gorge are now further away from healthcare services as ambulances face a slow drive over the hill.
Like other motorists, they now have to battle over the Saddle Rd or Pahiatua Track, as State Highway 3 through the gorge remains closed indefinitely.
St John acting district operations manager Brendon Hutchinson said the journey from Palmerston North to Woodville was now eight minutes longer, and that’s on a good day when there’s no upgrade work on the Saddle Rd.
And during the present closure, St John had lowered the threshold for a rescue helicopter to be called in for medical emergencies on the Hawke’s Bay side of the ranges.
‘‘Like other services and businesses affected by such disruptions, St John regularly reviews where and how its resources are deployed and makes every attempt to effectively respond to unforeseen changes to travel conditions where possible.’’
Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter base manager and pilot Chris Moody said that during a medical emergency, the seriousness of the injury and time it would take to reach the stricken person by road would be examined closely. ‘‘This is a partnership with St John, so all of us have to come together.’’
Moody was yet to see an increase in callouts to the Hawke’s Bay side of the ranges.
At a public meeting in Woodville last Wednesday, Dwayne Black voiced concern about healthcare access during the closure.
He said his 9-month-old daughter choked and inhaled food and vomit into her lungs and it took 90
‘‘This is a partnership with St John, so all of us have to come together.’’ Rescue helicopter pilot Chris Moody
minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
St John couldn’t find a record of such an incident, but said anyone with concerns could get in contact.
Health Shuttle organiser Tom Fleming, who serves Pahiatua, Eketahuna and Woodville, had noticed an increase in people using the service.
This was because people requiring healthcare didn’t want to drive on the alternative gorge routes themselves. ‘‘If we pick up patients in Woodville and go over the Saddle Rd, it adds another 20 minutes to our travel.
‘‘If we only pick up patients in Pahiatua, we go over the track, but to get to [Palmerston North] Hospital we have to go right through town, which is not as quick as going through the gorge.’’
The service’s costs were also increasing.
As the service travelled back and forth about three times a day, these costs added up and were not all covered by a subsidy from Horizons Regional Council.
A Midcentral District Health Board spokeswoman said the organisation was in contact with the shuttle service and St John to make sure everything was being done to minimise disruption to health services.
See editorial, page 6 The closure of the Manawatu Gorge road has created an opportunity to build a road that is much better, wider and safer, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.
Bridges visited the Ashhurst and Woodville townships either side of the Manawatu Gorge on Wednesday morning, but left business owners with little assurance.
The gorge road has been closed since April 24 after a large slip fell, covering both lanes of State Highway 3.
On July 7, repair crews were pulled out of the area amid fears for their safety after a large area of loose hillside was identified. The gorge has been closed indefinitely since.
The closure has put pressure on residents of towns on either side, including Woodville Fish Spot owners John Gooding and Judy Thomson.
The transport minister’s visit to Woodville brought little comfort to the fish’n’chip shop owners of 17 years, who want traffic diverted through Woodville immediately.
Gooding saw the main road through Woodville go from a bustling street to almost deserted since the gorge closure, he said.
With business down 30 per cent, Gooding hoped Bridges would offer a short-term solution to help struggling businesses, but Bridges avoided questions and redirected the focus to long-term plans.
‘‘We only get paid for who comes through the door; you get paid regardless,’’ Gooding told Bridges.
When Gooding spoke to the Manawatu Standard he said closing Oxford Rd, which allowed vehicles to bypass Woodville, would make traffic flow normally through the town again.
During the 2011/12 slip that closed the gorge for 14 months, Oxford Rd was closed for several weeks, which Gooding said helped business run like normal. But the Tararua District Council had to reverse the Oxford Rd closure then after landowners complained they were obstructed.
NZ Transport Agency regional transport systems manager Ross I’anson said closing Oxford Rd was not considered this time but two intersections, Oxford Rd and Woodlands Rd, and Woodlands Rd and SH3, would be realigned to guide traffic through Woodville.
On Wednesday, Bridges also visited Bridge Cafe owner Rebecca Algie. She said he did not give her any new information.
Algie’s business, at the Woodville end of the gorge, was down 70 per cent on last year’s trade.
Algie told Bridges she hoped an alternative route would still run past her cafe. But Bridges said it was not clear where the alternative route would be.
The transport agency has invited three organisations to tender to investigate alternative options.
Tenders close in mid-august, with a final recommendation expected in December. That would then go out for public consultation and a permanent fix is expected within three years.