Safe roads – let’s keep talking

A safe road journey begins with good communication.

Dean Eades has recently taken up the post as Road Safety Coordinator at Hurunui District Council and is dedicating a lot of time to interacting with those who use the roads in our district.

Within his role, Dean will be working with the police, Waka Kotahi (NZTA), Road Transport Association, ACC, the neighbouring Councils, and community groups.

“It’s about working together to continually create safer roading environments throughout our district.”

The community-led road safety project ‘1600K: Getting There Together’ will keep Dean busy. Part of this project is the Interactive Map which Council uses as a tool to stay familiar with community experiences on the networks.

Snap Send Solve is another interactive method between Council and the community which Dean is reminding people about. Residents can either download the Snap Send Solve ap onto their smart phone or use the web page in their browser, to capture and report issues with our roads or roading infrastructure.

“If you see a problem, you snap it and then send it off to Council. We solve it, and get back to you with an update.”

He urges people to use it as much as possible to report potholes, wilding pines, road damage, damaged bridge ends, or anything else.

“We love to hear about them, so we can fix them and make our roads as safe as possible.”

Dean says the key to safer roads is communication and it works both ways; the Council and its agencies providing messages, improvements and support, and the community providing feedback and local knowledge.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see that what we do as a Council, in cooperation with our agencies, to ultimately create a really positive outcome on both our State Highways and our regional roads, where everyone can share it safely and happily.”

Dean has a few tips for ensuring a safe and happy upcoming summer holiday season.

*Give yourself plenty of time for unexpected delays.

*Remember the roads will be busy, so allow extra time.

*Stick to the speed limit, and remember simple road rules like safe cornering, indicating, and using your headlights.

*For those who will be towing, make sure you are hooked up properly and your load is safe, stick to the speed limit, and pull over where you can.

*Take breaks on long journeys.