Projects out of sync as council lights the way
Mysterious decisions are being made that will influence the future success of the Esplanade and He Ara Kotahi cycle and pedestrian bridge in Palmerston North. On one hand, the Palmerston North City Council has called the omission of lighting from the bridge ‘‘an oversight’’ and has leapt in to pour a large part of the extra $1.2 million needed into the project.
This is weird, because the latest public communications we can find about the lighting subject, was that it had not been decided.
On the other hand, the council has deferred staff requests to speed up parts of the Esplanade development plan that will enable people to get to the bridge.
That the timing of spending on a new entrance and improved intersection at Cook St and Park Rd was not aligned with next year’s expected completion of the bridge and pathways, was a mystery in the first place.
But councillors have shied away from correcting that situation.
Let us go back in time.
When the council consulted the community about where the bridge should be built in 2016, it said, ‘‘At this stage it is not expected that the bridge will be lit to allow for night-time use’’.
During the resource consent application and hearing process, the subject of lighting recurred, with a definite change in thinking.
Former councillor Chris Teo-sherrell said lighting should be provided at the outset and that it would be irresponsible not to do so.
Indeed, there are compelling arguments that darkened pathways, especially ones that go over rivers, are crime scenes waiting to happen.
Lighting was outside the scope of what resource management commissioners were required to decide.
Council lawyer John Maassen told them the council was giving serious consideration to lighting, which was being provided for in the bridge design.
The commissioners commented:
‘‘It is our view that lighting should be provided and we were pleased to see that provision is likely to be made in the design of the bridge for its future installation.’’ As it turned out, that likelihood was not realised. Council roading manager Jon Schwass broke the news to councillors last month that lighting had not been included in the budget for the bridge project.
That there should be lights on the bridge became a nobrainer in view of the little-publicised decision to light the Fitzherbert Bridge, and the sections of pathway on both sides of the river between the bridges.
The majority of councillors were keen to correct the ‘‘oversight’’, even though the communication with the public about the effects lighting seems to have been completely missing.
It is likely many bridge users will approach the new bridge along the shared riverside pathways, or from Ruha St, but there is still an important link to be established through the Esplanade.
That is proposed to involve a safer vehicle entrance and driveway from Park Rd, but councillors have deferred a decision on fast-tracking that spending.
It is confusing that they should.
It would be most unfortunate to see major roadworks going on at the Esplanade’s front gate just as the rest of the enhancements, the bridge and the Wildbase Recovery Centre, start bringing in increased numbers of visitors.
End note
Horizons Regional Council’s by-election in Palmerston North created greater interest and intrigue at my house than I expected.
The mail delivery one particular day included four pieces of correspondence from the council.
Three people, who, for reasons that seem to be beyond my control, use my house as their home address, received their voting papers.
The householder, the person who holds it all together, received only the rates bill.
The three individuals all asked me, one at a time, who they should vote for.
I provided an objective summary of the candidates’ comparative strengths and weaknesses, and explained, again, the concept of a secret ballot.
They placed their ticks, sealed their envelopes, and left them sitting on the kitchen shelf for me to post.
A couple of days later my voting papers turned up, including a clue about what caused the delay.
The address was wrong.
After living at the same address for more than two decades, my street number had mysteriously changed.
(Thank you, honest neighbour, who tracked me down instead of just filling in my voting paper for me.)
Inquiries provided a sort-of explanation that my address had been changed during the 2017 election processes.
That’s a little bit spooky.
After entertaining conspiracy theories for a day or two, I have come up with a harmless, but plausible explanation.
In 2017, I cast a special vote, having been in Dunedin preceding the election. On reflection, I was surprised how paper-and-pen dominated the process was. I believe I filled in a form, and an electoral person copied my details onto another form, and so forth. An errant digit must have slipped in.
Isn’t it about time we got this whole business online?