Alarming road incident
For over four years now, without incident, I have regularly driven from Arapuni to Tokoroa and back via Old Taupo Rd. This road has several narrow, windy sections and a surprising amount of heavy traffic, so it is a road that I drive with care. My habit is to drive each corner keeping well to the left, as if there may be a milk tanker, logging truck, big agricultural vehicle or an antisocial driver coming the other way. Today, Tuesday, March 25, there was an antisocial driver.
As I came round a downhill corner about halfway between Wiltsdown Rd and Hodderville, I saw a small grey car more than a metre on my side of the centre line pulling out from behind a truck as if to pass it. In the second or so that I had, I think I pulled a little more to the left. There was a loud bang. I thought ‘‘This is it’’. I stopped on the grass and realised that I was OK, and that my wing mirror was hanging by a thread. The truck and the car had gone.
I pulled a bit further over on to the grass and expected to see the other car coming back. It did not come back. I got out of the car to see if there was any other damage, and fortunately there was not. Though we were at some point less than 10 centimetres apart, only the mirrors touched. I picked up the remains of my mirror and a big grey plastic piece of the wing mirror from the other car, gave myself a few minutes to stop shaking and went on home.
There was no time to see the driver, notice a make and model of car or get a plate number. I will just have to cover the insurance excess and put up with inconvenience of having the car off the road. I actually feel very lucky to be alive. I hope the other driver realises that if I was driving a logging truck or a milk tanker, he or she might not be alive.
Wendy Haigh many times about the process to follow to establish a community board for Tokoroa and other wards. For the benefit of the wider community, there is an opportunity to establish local community boards during Council’s Representation Review in 2015. Mr Young - and anyone else - can make a submission to the Local Government Commission on this issue.
Community boards are part of the legislative framework of local authorities, not a TANGS-like organisation, which was a business promotion organisation funded by council a number of years ago before it was wound up. Council would applaud Mr Young if he worked with others to recreate a TANGS-like organisation. This could be progressed through council’s Annual Plan consultation process. As always, I await some positive action by Mr Young.
Council is currently seeking ideas from the community on how to invest the $5 million (held within council) and the $20m (held by an external trust) in community and economic development that will benefit the district as a whole. Our council continues to be committed to our two key strategic objectives of district promotion and creating more jobs. The Draft Annual Plan 2014-15 is open for consultation, as are suggestions for projects for the $5. Everyone is welcome to submit and we look forward to reading your proposals. Mayor Neil Sinclair
Putaruru