Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019
INSIDE: Wellness therapies benefit hospice patients P5
Rainbow clock? P10 ARE YOU A VIP CUSTOMER? Read ‘Garden Yarn’ on Page 9 to find out if you’re one of our
LUCKY DAILY $50 VOUCHER WINNERS!
FLAIR
Peter & Jenny Giddens 24 hour personal service to all districts
Phone: 06 3797616 Carterton www.richmondfuneralhome.co.nz Personalised funerals, based Traditional Values Personalised funerals based onon traditional diti di tionall values al l es
FOR ALL YOUR FLOORING NEEDS
See our advert on the Back Page 97-101 High St North, Carterton Ph 06 379 4055
Speed reduction is on the cards
The intersection of Norfolk Rd/ Cornwall Rd with State Highway 2 is a crash hotspot. PHOTO/FILE
Emily Ireland Carterton has the lowest road fatality rate in New Zealand, with three road deaths for every billion kilometres travelled on its roads. But according to district councillor Rebecca Vergunst, even one serious injury on Wairarapa roads is one too many. Vergunst is a representative on the Wairarapa Road Safety Council.
She said drivers needed to take responsibility for driving safely – “this means keeping to the speed limit, or less depending on the conditions; always wear your seatbelt and make sure your kids’ car seats are strapped in properly; be aware of distractions; don’t drive with drugs or alcohol in your system”. The recently released Infometrics Regional Wellbeing Report revealed Carterton’s road fatality rate was the lowest
in the country with 3.01 road deaths per billion kilometres travelled in the district. This was followed by secondranked South Wairarapa (5.26), and third-ranked Lower Hutt City (5.34). Wellington City had the seventh-lowest rate in New Zealand, followed by Masterton in eighth place. Regardless of the favourable statistic for Carterton, its council is not resting on its laurels.
Instead, it’s taking all measures to make the rate even lower – starting with addressing the notorious crash hotspot at the Norfolk Rd/Cornwall Rd intersection with State Highway 2. Carterton Mayor John Booth and deputy mayor Russell Keys made an “impassioned plea” for a reduced speed limit along the stretch of SH2 at a meeting with the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) last Friday. Booth asked NZTA to reduce
* $68. 80/ weekbas edonCel er i oGL XManual ,$15, 990pl usORC,t ot alamountpa y abl e$17, 956. 80;ni ldepos i t ,3. 9% p. a.fix edi nt er es tr at eand 5y eart er m.Onpa y mentofonr oadcos t st ot heDeal er ,financepa y ment si ncl udea$300document at i onf eeand$10. 35PPSRf ee.Offera v ai l abl e131J ul y2019.Nor mall endi ngandcr edi tcr i t er i aappl y .Ex cl udes2019J i mny ,fleetpur chas es ,demov ehi cl esandot herpr omot i ons .
E a s t wo o dMo t o rG r o u pS u z u k i |0 8 0 01 0 41 0 3|www. e a s t wo o d mo t o r g r o u p . c o . n z
the speed limit along the more dangerous sections until a more permanent solution could be enacted. “As a short-term measure while they get their plan done, I’ve pushed to bring in speed restrictions from south of Norman Ave through to the Waingawa Bridge. I don’t know what speed it would be though,” he told the Wairarapa TimesAge. Continued on page 3