Bay Harbour: June 13, 2018

Wednesday June 13 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 19
Your Local Views
Bus route ‘rethink’ needed
Pirate’s Corner
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Labour MP for
Port Hills Ruth
Dyson believes
a rethink of
our city-wide
bus routes is
timely given the
Government’s increased
support for public transport
I WAS really happy when I heard
the news from Environment
Canterbury that it had taken
notice of public concerns about
its proposal to axe six bus routes,
and were offering a compromise
solution – until I read the details.
Some of the options are sensible
compromises but, in the case
of the 535 Lyttelton route, the
compromise is totally unsatisfactory.
The outcome for this route is
that it is scrapped, but the 28
service (Papanui to Lyttelton
via the city) is being extended
to include Rapaki. There will
be three morning services and
three in the afternoon, with no
other service during the day or
at weekends. There is now no
connection between Lyttelton to
Ferrymead or Eastgate.
I have heard some locals
discussing a “plan B” in response
to this service cutback. I will
certainly be working with them
USER FRIENDLY: Passengers on the 535 route from Eastgate
to Rapaki were the first to ride in Red Bus’ new smaller buses.
to see what better outcome we
can achieve for public transport
for people.
I repeat the point that I made
earlier in relation to our bus services.
It is time for a fundamental
rethink about the bus routes
and the reasons that people are
still not using them to the level
that is viewed as acceptable.
I know that Ecan is in the
process of preparing such a
document and it is badly needed.
The increased support for public
transport from our Government
can now be taken into consideration
with this planning. Simply
cutting back services is not a
solution in the long term.
The good news from ECan
is the increased support for a
predator-free Port Hills. The
work being led by the Summit
Rd Society, where people with
time to clear traps are matched
with people with spare funds
to buy traps is giving all of us a
chance to make a real difference
in our local areas – this is great
work. The predator-free vision
will be hard to achieve, but it is a
great ambition.
Learn the rules of boating
Knowing the rules makes
the water safer for everyone,
writes navigational safety
officer Gary Manch
ONLY THE hardy souls will be out
on the water this time of year. The
rest of us will be staying warm and
dry on shore, which gives us time
to prepare for the summer season
and even consider an online or inperson
skippers’ course.
It always astounds me that a lot
of boaties out there do not know
the rules for the area they are
boating in. I accept that there is
no requirement for the certification
or licensing of recreational
powerboat users in relation to
knowledge and skill.
That said, I believe we all have
a responsibility to at least be up
to speed with the Maritime New
Zealand rules, local navigation
safety bylaws and general vessel
handling skills. By knowing the
rules and adhering to them, the
waterways in our region will be
lot safer for all users.
In the absence of certification
or licensing, I think it’s important
that skippers take responsibility
for knowing and sticking
to the rules. A lot of boaties say:
“I have been boating this area for
years and nothing has ever happened
to me; it’s the others who
need to know what to do.”
This may be the case in many
instances but no one is perfect
and risk is always there. As with
any recreational activity, preparation
and knowledge is the key to
being safe.
A “day skippers” course is a
good starting point, and it can be
completed online or by attending a
two-day training course. Find out
more at www.boatingeducation.
org.nz.
26th August 2018
10am – 3pm
Air Force Museum, Wigram
Tickets available on door
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enquiries contact
Mark Sinclair:
mark.sinclair@
starmedia.kiwi
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