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7 306 Jeannette Mathieson Sent: Saturday, 27 February :48 p.m. To: General Subject: Submission for Annual Plan 2016/2017 Attachments: Submission to Draft Annual Plan Southland DC 2016.pdf Hello. I have attached my submission to the Draft Annual Plan for 2016/2017 with regard to options for sealing more of the Catlins roads. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on a matter that means a lot to me and my family. I am unable to appear in support of my submission because of distance and a work commitment. Can you please acknowledge receipt of this submission. Thanks very much. Kind regards Ross Ross Davies 1

8 307 From: Ross Davies - Submission to Draft Annual Plan 2016/2017 Southland District Council Subject: Sealing of Catlins Roads I am supporting the immediate sealing of the Catlins Road, from Haldane to Curio Bay including the Slope Point Road to the first carpark, and the road leading to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse, so long as the Waipapa Point addition does not delay the sealing of the others. I am from Dunedin and have spent the last 7 years travelling and working around New Zealand, mostly in the tourist industry as a Relief Manager. The cost of accidents In September 2008 my son and daughter were injured in a head-on motor vehicle accident on the Haldane-Curio Bay Road; on a sightseeing trip with family. This was on the 35kmph corner about 600m north of the intersection with Watson Road. The vehicle they hit was driven by a local resident. Altogether there were 4 people hospitalised. The most seriously injured was my son. He received a serious brain injury and was evacuated by helicopter first to Kew Hospital, and then to Dunedin Hospital for immediate surgery. Two more lots of surgery, 12 days in ICU, weeks in the neurosurgery ward, and then a month of assessment and rehabilitation followed. With the other three hospital admissions, plus disrupted lives and vehicle loss, it is not hard to imagine costs greater than $100,000 two months after the accident. My son is managed under the Serious Injury Unit of ACC, which reflects the permanent aspects of his injury and the likelihood of long-term/permanent requirements for support. He remains unfit for work and is not living independently but he s still working on those aspects. Costs for this on-going support may be pushing the accident costs towards half a million dollars after 7 years, with many more decades to come. My daughter has on-going post-traumatic issues and it has been a significant event for the rest of the family with many intangible costs. Big and small, actual and emotional, this one accident has had a big cost to my family and to the country. This accident was life-changing for our family, but is probably a mere blip on the overall number of accidents that have occurred on these roads over recent years. The total costs and effects of the many accidents must be huge, and growing. This accident was found to be the result of careless driving but most accidents arise from carelessness, more or less. A big factor was also the road design (or lack of it) with a significant part of the corner obscured by vegetation. More importantly, it is highly unlikely that the accident would have occurred had the road been sealed. Submission to Annual Plan 2016/2017 Page 1 of 3 24 February 2016

9 308 Changes to the road For the first time since the accident we returned to the scene of it just this last weekend. My son has no memory of the accident or the aftermath, and never will. My daughter has bad memories of the accident and aftermath. My wife and I and my other son just remember the aftermath We all decided it was time to face our fears and (re)visit the scene. It was a good experience for us. We liked the huge Slow down. High Crash Area signs (although surely they are a stop-gap measure?). And it looked like the flax bushes had been removed from much of the inside of the corner. We were concerned however to see recent marks of a vehicle off the road at the same corner. It seems like a single vehicle rolled off the road there just last week, probably a result of carelessness on the gravel road. It looks like some of the lessons have not been heeded i.e. that unsealed roads are hazardous, particularly to visitors from out of the district. Seven years on people are still coming to grief on that corner and I sure on lots of other corners as well. Priority for sealing We would agree that the first priority for sealing needs to be the road from Haldane to Curio Bay. This is obviously a major through-route. It seems ironic that the Southern Scenic Highway has been sealed but the route that is more attractive for tourists has remained unsealed. What we used of the Haldane to Curio Bay road seemed to be in reasonable condition with a minimum of corrugations and potholes. The Slope Point Road is different. We stayed at the backpackers there and drove out to the point. The corrugations are bad. The corrugations on the steeper sections are dangerous. If drivers from out of the district are at risk on the unsealed roads generally, the risk must be amplified on corrugated sections on the hills. If the road remains unsealed for much longer, hopefully maintenance can be increased in frequency to improve the surface to reduce potential loss-ofcontrol accidents. We didn t get as far as the road to Waipapa Point lighthouse, but guess it is similar to the Slope Point Road in terms of levels of use and condition of the road. If it can be sealed at the same time as the rest, that would be wonderful. But I d hope that sealing of the other roads is not delayed at all by the inclusion of the Waipapa Point road. Benefits to the local residents During our 20 hours in the Slope Point area, we realised that moving around the area must be stressful for the local residents; I imagine it something like vehicular Russian roulette. Hazardous roads combined with a big proportion of drivers unused to unsealed roads and many of them unused to driving on the left must all add up to local residents having to anticipate head-on collisions much of the time. This is no way to have to go about daily life. Sealing the roads will benefit the local residents with less dust and wear and tear on their vehicles. But generally they will have coped with those effects over the years. Much of the benefit from tourism generally is felt outside the area, yet it is the local residents who face the real risks every day from the industry. Other roads in the region The Purukanui Falls are one of the iconic scenes in the Catlins. Significant parts of the road(s) there are unsealed and hazardous to all. Hopefully this is on a programme for sealing in the near future. Submission to Annual Plan 2016/2017 Page 2 of 3 24 February 2016

10 309 Benefits to the wider region Our work in the tourist industry (recently in Fox Glacier and Invercargill) has highlighted several things for us. Firstly, there is a torrent of tourists out there and it is increasing rapidly. Only a small portion of these visit Southland south of Te Anau and Lumsden and Gore. There are big gains to be made from getting more to deviate south of the standard track. The two biggest assets in this regard are Stewart Island and the Southern Scenic Highway. Secondly we were surprised by the large proportion of tourists in Invercargill who arrived or left via the Catlins. Some of these are likely to avoid the unsealed routes and zoom through. If they can be given safe routes to locations like Slope Point and Waipapa Point then they are more likely to spend longer in the region, and spend more money while there. A good proportion of tourists are independent, and well-researched. You are less likely to capture them with unsafe roads. Duty of Care I hope that there is not diminished enthusiasm for improving the roads because most of the accidents are caused by drivers who are not local and arise from inexperience and carelessness. The accident I ve recounted here impacted on a local resident, literally. And it falls to the locals to pick up the pieces from many of the accidents, and open their doors to the victims (as happened with the instance involving my family). I am sure the locals want to improve the safety of their roads. I feel there is a wider responsibility as well, regional and national. Many of these tourists are visitors in your region and our country. I d like to think that we all have a duty to keep them safe, where practical and reasonable. They are our guests and we want them to enjoy New Zealand safely. Summary Accidents cost money, and some accidents cost a lot of money. Costs of one accident on the road in question will exceed a million dollars. Changes made to improve sight-lines for drivers and provide huge warning signs are good but accidents are still happening and the unsealed roads remain as a significant cause. Sealing needs to be prioritised and begun as soon as possible. Maintenance on unsealed roads needs to be increased to reduce the hazards. It must be awful for local residents going about their normal lives while wondering about the next accident they will encounter or be involved in. There are other roads in the region that need to be prioritised as well, starting with the road(s) to Purukaunui Falls. There are huge potential benefits to the wider Southland area from safety improvements to the roads through the Catlins including those to promoted tourist locations. We all have a duty of care to do what we can to look after visitors. The high costs and effects of continual vehicle accidents on unsealed roads to tourist locations require you to either seal the roads or stop promoting the locations. Ross Davies - 24 February 2016 Submission to Annual Plan 2016/2017 Page 3 of 3 24 February 2016

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15 314 Annual Plan 2016 Submission Organisation: Name: Kate Stratford A meeting to hear submissions will be held on Thursday 7 April Do you want to attend and speak in support of your submission? Your preferred option is: No Option 1 - Fund the sealing of the the Catlins Road, from Haldane to Curio Bay, including the Slope Point Road to the first carpark and the road leading to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse Comments: Your preferred option is: Option 3 - No opinion Comments: Please state the main topic: Comments: How easy was the consultation document to read? Very easy

16 315 Please comment on how we can improve the consultation document:

17 316 Annual Plan 2016 Submission Name: RF&SM CROSBIE Organisation: PRIVATE RESIDENT A meeting to hear submissions will be held on Thursday 7 April Do you want to attend and speak in support of your submission? Your preferred option is: No Option 4 - No opinion Comments: Your preferred option is: Option 3 - No opinion Comments: NO RATE INCREASE. Please state the main topic: Comments: ROAD SEAL&LIGHTING Helena& Mersey Street Fortrose off Tokanui GorgeRoad Highway[approx. 500 metres]needs tar sealed as it is being used as main road lots of times since top of Neva Street was made No Exit. Plus is badly corrugated most of the year. Also need street lighting along Moray Terrace especially near toilet area.

18 317 How easy was the consultation document to read? Easy Please comment on how we can improve the consultation document:

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31 330 Annual Plan 2016 Submission Name: Riverton/Aparima Community Board Organisation: Southland District Council A meeting to hear submissions will be held on Thursday 7 April Do you want to attend and speak in support of your submission? Your preferred option is: Yes Option 1 - Fund the sealing of the the Catlins Road, from Haldane to Curio Bay, including the Slope Point Road to the first carpark and the road leading to the Waipapa Point Lighthouse Comments: Your preferred option is: Option 3 - No opinion Comments: Please state the main topic: Comments: Application for funding from the SDC Roading Budget The Riverton/Aparima Community Board wishes to make a submission to the Annual Plan seeking a subsidy from the roading budget toward the Havelock Street kerb and channel project. The Board is contributing $130,000 from rates/reserves and are seeking an amount of $35,000 (approximately 30% subsidy) to complete this project in its entirety within the 2016/2017 financial year.

32 331 How easy was the consultation document to read? Very easy Please comment on how we can improve the consultation document: