Taupo/Tokoroa or Bay of Plenty South were two items suggested as full council was brought up to speed with South Waikato.
Waotu traffic accident was mentioned were GPS confuses over seas visitors and takes the tourist down dead end roads and turning around disorientated.
Mayor Sinclair welcomed
Craig Hobbs CEO reached out and mentioned it was a public meeting with the cameras rolling when the commander started a sentence "just within these four walls..." As he mentioned a road policing was going to get improved with a reshuffle. 601 accidents and 17 deaths said the Mayor is "absolutely scary". Again the mayor "hope no one was reporting" admitting he was driving 70km/hr in 50km temporary road areas. The commander replied to mayor asking councillors to put hands up who drive over 30km/hr like mayor says he does with nervous smiles. Tony Jurisson piped up as Warricks right hand and and looks after road policing group and said partnership working with community is about "bring people on board". Brent is a good person to ask about this. Signs are out and now working on the roads so mayor sets his own rules on the roads.
Brent said police have moved to a prevention model. So long term it is the right space to be in.
Fatalities are high and Murry will get into that more. The crash that Mayor mentioned had 3 deaths. A farm worker near Kinleath fell off a quad and died.
Two projects scoping for business case improvements.
Sharing information, thoughts and opinions.
2km of road with 50Km/hr signs had no work going on but still there two days.
Council has to put better quality into road works and it is council to get better contractors who are responsible for road safety.
Ceo Hobbs read the blog in council meeting on being published and passed his computer over to mayor as he is deliberating on slippery pavers in Tokoroa CBD.
Deputy mayor who just got a text message that two old ladies just slipped over at the bank this morning was reported to the meeting.
The Mayor Sinclair read the blog and responded to the whole meeting with a loud voice heard in the biblical gallery "childish"
What is childish?
Reporting the meeting when south waikato news not present.
$500,000 to fix cobble stones 8,000 m^2 which was first laid by Deputy Mayor in committee ears ago.
What is childish getting back to the meeting.
Old ladies are falling over in bad weather today and for ten years this mayor has know the price paid.
See how lives are lost on the roads. See how injury are piling on foot paths.
Childish is doing nothing, saying no to good ideas is childish, and childish is chairing meetings known the press is in the room and not acting mayoral.
This is the same meeting that CEO threatened the press agent with trespass for sitting at a free and unused desk.
This hostility and hiding in public excluded comfort meetings is spilling over into the public space and not being disciplined enough to wear two hats. One hat is representing the the community and the other hat is just a public person.
Mayor is pushing to spend $500,000 on pavers with out information to back up that price.
$500,000/$8,000 m^2 = $75 per square meter.
Watch this space.
Councilor Bell mentioned to full South Waikato District council that slow drivers confuse the road with dangerous passing because locals know the roads and tourist creep along slowly sight seeing.
Council Edmeads asked why police changed color of police cars. Quick answer is resale of used police cars has a better price it was found.
Councilor Glucena said lighting up signs have people take more notice. But this was pointed out that council contractors and council has more to do on prevention there.
Mayor asked if police will be writing tickets in 30 km/hr and the answer was yes and warnings will be given out. Mayor been schooled on his illegal activity he admitted to of driving faster than legal limit in road work zones. CEO Hobbs said Mayor may not be seen as a mentor for young drivers as seen working in other council areas around country.
Police polightly explained to mayor that if you look at the road it is not up to condition and that is what 50KM/hr signs are for. Not open road speed said the Police to Mayor.
Mayor wanted explanation with signs on why he should obey the law. This made the police look uncomfortable about how much work has to be done with traffic safety with Mayor driving with sustained loss of traction from the front.
Mayor asked signs provided to appeal to his reason and not his blind obedience.
One Councilor said that she was clocked at 60km/hr in 30km/hr and got her a ticket with demerit points. The mayor must have the message now. We will have to lay in wait at the next roadworks between council building and his home and see.
Mayor has one final question about cars driving with headlights on. Mayor wants to pass and the one car without lights on coming the other way confuses him when most of the others have lights on.
Councilor Gash was observably frustrated at the petty tone set by the Mayor in this public meeting, being covered by the media, when we had this Oppertunity to look at what council can do for prevention asked for by police. Recidivism was the default resoughted to by Mayor Sinclair.
From the gallery I can think of many things.
Write into council and tell them your ideas.
Bottom line is catching Mayor at 71 km/hr in a 30km/hr limit and he will have his licence confiscate and the mayoral car will need to hire a driver. Let that be your first and final warning from the police visit to Mayor today.
Police noted motor cycles are seen with lights on. Education to educate car drivers to turn light on. But new cars automatically sense darkness and put lights in.
Councilor Machen sits on a traffic committee and a speed forum has brought up that 100km/hr coming into the north of tokoroa needs to be lowered. Shall we clear road sides with mowing?
Mayor wants to reestablish regular meetings between council and police. Build relationships. It did slip away and death toll rose. Council is dropping the ball on prevention when we see the Mayor not preventing his speed to the legal limits.
Mayor said he has never seen a gang patch in Tokoroa. The room frowned at this comment. One of the requirements of a driving licence is a sight test.
Mayor needs to be preventative and nip it in the bud. Okay the signs bottom line.
Take home message from the public meeting. The visit from the new commander of police to full south waikato district council meeting has brought the oldest Mayor in the country, at 74 years old, back into line on speeding on the road. Age is another factor for the Mayor to as reaction times slow down and look harder for road signs requires more time to see and understand them than is being seen from our mayor.
Also to put a KPI to CEO Craig Hobbs to put in best road safety when giving contracts to Roading contractors. Council must lose its fast and loose driving Mayor style and pull the hand break well on with this law breaking.
