It was good news to see the second bridge over the Ashburton River included in the new Government draft policy statement on transport this week – the fact that it has survived a regime change means everyone can see it is needed.

As a community, we know that a second bridge will provide an alternative crossing if the current bridge is out and that makes us, and the whole of the South Island, more resilient. We also know that it will ease congestion on SH1 through Tinwald and make it safer for all motorists, pedestrians and cyclists who use the roads.

As a council, we must now make a formal submission on the Government’s new policy statement for land transport and we will be supporting its inclusion as a project of significance. We’ll be including all the details of the business case that has been with NZ Transport Agency for some time now.

Apart from the obvious connectivity gains, we’ll also be pointing out that the Regional Land Transport Committee also rates the second bridge as their number one priority for Canterbury. I encourage you as taxpayers to lend your weight to our words by making your own submission in support of the second bridge.

We clearly see the bridge progressing, with funding the only issue to clarify. That will be no consolation to the thousands of motorists that use the bridge on an hourly basis, but we know that the wheels are definitely in motion.

I’m also endorsing a letter from the Ashburton District Road Safety Co-ordinating Committee to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown asking him to get some action on lowering speed limits on the outskirts of Methven.

The Methven community has been asking for several years now for the speed limit on SH77 outside the new Ōpuke Thermal Pools & Spa to reduce from 100kph to 60kph.

It is a no brainer for this growing community and made all the more necessary because of the growing popularity of the hot pools as a tourism attraction.

A plan legalising reduced speed limits on some roads was paused by the new Government last year, but the minister has said that communities wanting the lower limits will still get them – our letter might speed that up.

Around the district, Council is also waiting for the interim speed management plan to be ticked off by the Government so we can amend our 30kmh signs outside schools – smaller signs are to be added signalling that the 30kph limit will only apply on school days from 8.30am-9.30am and from 2.30pm-3.30pm.

Commonsense and road safety go hand in hand.