Hidden from view

Last year, Nelson council had 60 workshops. There was no official note taking as required. The public was shut out of what was effectively decision making.

Kapiti had only 5 workshops, all publicly notified and open to the public. Tauranga had theirs on video. This is bad governance and protects staff and councillors from public view. Nelson’s mayor campaigned on transparency and open government.

It is time she lived up to her commitment. direct cause of 2 recent fatalities), questionable road design (the direct cause of a fatality at the Maiseys/Westdale road intersection and remedied only after an intense and well-organised local resident campaign) and you’re left with speed, excessive risk-taking, poor driving skills and a lack of anticipation as major accident causes. We can’t change that in a hurry, either.

But we read signs reading ‘‘Slow Down! High crash rate’’, we’re exhorted to ‘‘Slow down for bends’’, reprimanded that ‘‘Mistakes happen. Your speed decides the outcome’’ and advised a comfortable and safe speed through a series of bends is 85kmh.

And yet NZTA leaves the speed limit at Landsdowne Road and Redwood Road, 2 major high traffic-density interactions, and on the winding section of SH60 leading to the overtaking segment at Maiseys Rd at 100 kmh while significant sections of the same road with similar characteristics are limited to 80kmh. Where’s the duty of care? Where’s the logic?

Drop the speed limit from to 80kmh and enforce it rigorously as a short-term measure. Then take the traffic forecasts for 2030 and design SH60 to handle it.