Western News: September 13, 2016

WESTERN NEWS Tuesday September 13 2016 7
Western News readers
respond to an article on
a proposed new primary
school in Halswell
Carolyn Murphy
I think it’s fantastic news that
western Halswell will be getting a
new primary school. This area of
Halswell is undergoing exciting
times post-earthquake, with lots
of new houses, shops and facilities
already completed or under
way. A primary school can surely
only encourage more young
families to the area and will be
a real asset to the community.
Definitely exciting times ahead
for this area of the city.
Gary Knight
As the gateway to Banks
Peninsula and beyond, the established
suburb of Halswell has,
through a mix of urban/rural
lifestyles plus botanical beauty
within parks and reserves, created
an idyllic situation for many.
Within this context, an appropriate
academic protocol is essential.
Secondary schools neighbouring
Halswell, ranging from years 7
to 13 and 9 to 13 status, including
Cashmere High School (roll
1914) Hillmorton High School
(711) Hornby High School (653)
Christchurch Girls’ High School
(1107) and Riccarton High
School (1001) would deem an extra
secondary school in Halswell
a retrograde step. In comparison,
however, is the minimal amount
of primary schools in this area.
In close proximity are Oaklands
School (605) and Halswell School
(618), with the addition of West
Spreydon School (275), Addington
School (244) and Hoon
Hay School (437). Making the
proposed $15 million primary
school for Halswell is a vital and
positive step. To cater for the
rapid population growth of this
suburb projected to rise to between
34,000 to 40,000 by 2035.
A Western News reader
writes about the Halswell
bus system
Rose Thorner
Recently a prospective candidate
for the local elections
came to my door to introduce
herself. She asked my view on
a local safety matter and took
notes when I launched into my
concerns. Within a short distance
from the Anthony Wilding
Retirement Village, there are
two potential traffic hazards. The
local bus services are excellent,
they run on time and frequently,
encouraging us to make use of
them. The Orange Line runs
from Halswell along Halswell Rd,
Lincoln Rd to the Christchurch
Hospital and into town. On the
return journey, we take our lives
in our hands to cross Halswell
Rd to return home. There is no
pavement on which to alight and
we then have to run the gauntlet
of traffic in both directions at
80km/h. It is impossible to get
safely across in rush hour traffic.
To assist elderly people to get
home safely, it would be helpful if
there was a flat surface to alight
onto and a centre island would
get us half-way at a time across
the road when traffic allows. The
speed limit should be reduced to
60km/h. The second concern is
turning right out of the retirement
village on to Bibiana St.
The road is narrow and, if a car is
parked on the far side of Bibiana
St, we have to drive on the wrong
side of the road towards the
roundabout on Aidanfield Drive.
There is only a short distance
between the exit from the retirement
village and the roundabout.
Cars are prone to race round the
roundabout and there is a catastrophe
in the making. The yellow
lines need to be extended past the
retirement village exit so drivers
could drive on the correct side of
the road.
Disappearing
Election Signs
My name is Catherine
Chu and I am
standing at the 2016
Local Elections
for the Riccarton
Community Board.
I was born in
Christchurch and
raised in Riccarton my
whole life. Even the
bank where I currently
work full time as a
Business Banking
Manager is also
located in Riccarton.
Having spent all my
childhood, teenage
years in the Riccarton
area, I have grown
emotionally attached
to this place.
As I have very strong interest in foreign languages and cultures, I spend a couple of hours
every week at the University of Canterbury studying Chinese and Japanese during my
spare time.
The story about my stolen signs was published in last week’s Western News. My signs
have continued to be stolen even after last week’s article. Ten had been stolen on the night
of Saturday, September 3 alone. It is clear that the method of removing of the signs are
consistent and has been suggested by many others that there is a higher possibility that one
or two people would be doing this consistently and intentionally.
Travelling on foot to find sites to put signs up is a struggle, and getting approval to do so is
another. Putting up one sign takes a lot of time and effort. It took me 2-3 hours every night
after work to be able to get approval from 2-3 sites. It has been quite overwhelming as I have
had 30 signs gone missing from 23 sites.
The New Zealand Police are also looking into this issue. I am also very grateful to have
supportive family, friends and residents showing interest to this incident. I hope that moving
forward this does not continue to happen. I would very much appreciate if you could please
contact me on 021 176 0985 should you find any of my signs.
On a positive note, I truly appreciate all the support and encouragement I have been
receiving from the Riccarton residents. I am very grateful to have this opportunity to be able
to become one step closer to our residents and I look forward to working together with them
to make sure our voices are heard and make a positive impact to our community.
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