Western News: November 12, 2020
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4 Thursday <strong>November</strong> <strong>12</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
WESTERN NEWS<br />
‘I want to get these things sorted’<br />
• From page 1<br />
“We just need to concentrate<br />
on doing the job and getting<br />
the best outcomes for our<br />
community. I just want to get<br />
these things sorted before I<br />
retire at the end of this term.”<br />
The community board<br />
members voted to re-elect<br />
Mora as its chairman for the<br />
remainder of the term after no<br />
other names were put forward.<br />
Out of all the board members,<br />
councillor Catherine Chu was<br />
the only member who voted<br />
against the decision.<br />
Mora decided to continue for<br />
another two years because there<br />
was still unfinished business<br />
to attend to in the wider<br />
community.<br />
By staying in the position, it<br />
kept the momentum going on<br />
any “outstanding issues” that<br />
needed to be resolved before<br />
passing the torch on to someone<br />
new.<br />
These included the Hornby<br />
Centre’s construction, the<br />
Halswell Junction Rd extension,<br />
supporting “landlocked”<br />
residents at Yaldhurst Village,<br />
tidying up the Sockburn Service<br />
Centre and park, and sorting<br />
out pedestrian and cycleway<br />
links between major centres in<br />
Hornby.<br />
He also wanted to put a<br />
succession plan in place for the<br />
area’s future in the next 10 to<br />
20 years, setting goals now to<br />
enable work towards them in<br />
the next term and beyond.<br />
In addition to Mora’s reelection,<br />
former city councillor<br />
Helen Broughton has been<br />
elected as the board’s new<br />
deputy chairwoman, taking<br />
over from Moore.<br />
In spite of previous tensions<br />
between the pair, such as<br />
Broughton’s concerns that<br />
Mora’s priorities did not focus<br />
on Riccarton, Mora believed<br />
this would not get in the way of<br />
future decisions.<br />
“We work together even<br />
though we don’t always see<br />
eye-to-eye. We had a chat after<br />
the meeting and we want to<br />
put the past behind us and<br />
move forward in a positive<br />
direction for the community we<br />
represent.”<br />
Plans to take on another term<br />
ISSUE: Mike<br />
Mora wants<br />
to see the<br />
Sockburn<br />
Service<br />
Centre<br />
tidied up<br />
before he<br />
retires.<br />
after the current one ended was<br />
not likely for Mora.<br />
“If people want me to stay<br />
for another term, I’m not<br />
considering that at this point<br />
in time – unless something<br />
happens later on,” he said.<br />
“I just want to concentrate<br />
on more time for family and<br />
other interests. At the end of<br />
this term I would’ve spent 30<br />
years in local government, that’s<br />
quite a big chunk of a person’s<br />
life.”<br />
Increased traffic<br />
reason for change<br />
• From page 1<br />
“The feedback we received provided<br />
good support for speed reductions<br />
in the area and did not identify any<br />
particular further issues that we were<br />
not aware of,” says Mr Harland.<br />
“Some people did, however, call<br />
for lower speeds and to extend the<br />
lower speed zones further west of<br />
Yaldhurst, which we may consider in<br />
the future.<br />
“The increase in traffic and subsequent<br />
crashes, along with the commercial<br />
development and the many driveways<br />
off the highway, means 60 and 80<br />
kilometres per hour limits are safe and<br />
appropriate speeds for this area.”<br />
The city council consulted on the<br />
speed limits for sections of Ryans,<br />
Pound, Hasketts and School Rds.<br />
The speed limits for these roads<br />
are being reduced from 70km/h or<br />
80km/h to 60km/h.<br />
Sections of Ryans, Hasketts and<br />
School Rds have already been implemented.<br />
The remaining changes on Ryans<br />
and Pound Rds will be co-ordinated<br />
with changes to SH73.<br />
“Improving the safety of the<br />
road network is a critical issue for<br />
the council. These changes will<br />
reduce speeds at approaches to<br />
high-risk intersections and maintain<br />
consistency of speed limits across the<br />
joint road network,” city council head<br />
of transport Richard Osborne said.