Hibiscus Matters Motoring Feature 16

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Motoring & transport June 15, 2016 | Hibiscusmatters | 17 DOUGLAS ACCOUNTING NEW CLIENTS WELCOME For all your accounting requirements Monthly and end of year accounts and tax returns. Business planning and advice Personal Tax Returns ACC Coverplus Xtra Cashbooks, Xero & MYOB software GST, PAYE, FBT Agent with Inland Revenue Department PO Box 308 001, Manly Whangaparaoa 0952 Phone: 09 424 4684 Mobile: 021 912 184 Fax: 09 424 4688 [email protected] www.douglasconsulting.co.nz Dairy Flat School is making a concerted effort to bring down the speed of traffic that roars past its entrance on the busy Dairy Flat Highway. The daily ‘organised chaos’ of the dropping off and collection of children is compounded at the rural school by the number of cars that need to squeeze into as safe a parking spot as possible. A public bus stop right outside the school further limits parking space. Buses take around 70– 90 of the children to and from school, and the rest of the 275 students are transported by car each day. Principal Debbie Marshall says because of a lack of pedestrian accessways, not one student can walk, cycle or scooter to and from school. “There is no safe area on the road for students to walk, ride or cycle. The traffic is going past at 80 and then 100kph and there is not even a shoulder on the road. It is too dangerous for our students to walk,” she says. “It causes major congestion.” For this reason, the school is lobbying for a pathway to be built from the school to Postman Road, around 800m away, enabling children to walk to and from there for collection by parents. However, it is the speed of passing traffic – including around one truck every minute – that is the main concern and something that the school is currently working on with Police, Auckland Council and Auckland From top, Sheeni Stewart, left and Zoe Hopper ticketing the school’s Kiss ‘n’ Drop zone where cars are supposed to be attended at all times. Dairy Flat School students’ traffic team use a laser gun to gather data about the speed of vehicles past the school. The traffic is going past at 80, and then 100kph and there is not even a shoulder on the road. It is too dangerous for our students to walk. Debbie Marshall Highway speeds a danger to school students Transport’s Travelwise arm. In 2013 the speed past the school was reduced from 100kph to 80kph thanks to a concerted effort that Ms Marshall says “took years”. About the same time, the speed past the school was reduced to 60kph at drop off and pick up times. Recently flashing electronic signs reminding drivers of the 60kph speed limit, which are activated from the school’s office at peak times, were installed. Despite this, drivers frequently exceed those limits. Last month students and their principal, armed with high visibility jackets and a speed laser gun provided by Travelwise, recorded the speeds of vehicles passing the school. Not only does the data they collected over six days show that 28 percent of the vehicles were exceeding the 60kph speed limit, but they also witnessed a near miss as a car turning into their school carpark was almost hit by a truck going at 72kph. The data will be used as evidence to support the school’s case for a reduction of the speed limit. Ms Marshall would like to see the speed past the school dropped from 80kph to 60kph at all times. “The speed is 40kph in school zones and that’s not possible for us because of the highway. But 60kph seems reasonable – we are a community school and people are coming and going throughout the day.” She says as well as making submissions to Council, and AT, the student council has worked on raising awareness in the school community through handing out information, and even tickets, in its Kiss’n’ Drop zone. “We’ve been really lucky that there have been no accidents as yet. We want to keep it that way.”

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Hibiscus Matters Motoring Feature 16

Transcript of Hibiscus Matters Motoring Feature 16

Page 1: Hibiscus Matters Motoring Feature 16

Motoring & transport June 15, 2016 | Hibiscusmatters | 17

DOUGLAS ACCOUNTING

NEW

CLIENTS WELCOME

For all your accounting requirements

• Monthly and end of year accounts and tax returns.

• Business planning and advice• Personal Tax Returns• ACC Coverplus Xtra• Cashbooks, Xero & MYOB software• GST, PAYE, FBT• Agent with Inland Revenue

Department

PO Box 308 001, ManlyWhangaparaoa 0952Phone: 09 424 4684Mobile: 021 912 184Fax: 09 424 [email protected]

Dairy Flat School is making a concerted effort to bring down the speed of traffic that roars past its entrance on the busy Dairy Flat Highway.The daily ‘organised chaos’ of the dropping off and collection of children is compounded at the rural school by the number of cars that need to squeeze into as safe a parking spot as possible. A public bus stop right outside the school further limits parking space. Buses take around 70–90 of the children to and from school, and the rest of the 275 students are transported by car each day.Principal Debbie Marshall says because of a lack of pedestrian accessways, not one student can walk, cycle or scooter to and from school. “There is no safe area on the road for students to walk, ride or cycle. The traffic is going past at 80 and then 100kph and there is not even a shoulder on the road. It is too dangerous for our students to walk,” she says. “It causes major congestion.”For this reason, the school is lobbying for a pathway to be built from the school to Postman Road, around 800m away, enabling children to walk to and from there for collection by parents.However, it is the speed of passing traffic – including around one truck every minute – that is the main concern and something that the school is currently working on with Police, Auckland Council and Auckland

From top, Sheeni Stewart, left and Zoe Hopper ticketing the school’s Kiss ‘n’ Drop zone where cars are supposed to be attended at all times. Dairy Flat School students’ traffic team use a laser gun to gather data about the speed of vehicles past the school.

The traffic is going past at 80, and then 100kph and there is not even a shoulder on the road. It is too dangerous for our

students to walk.Debbie Marshall

Highway speeds a danger to school studentsTransport’s Travelwise arm.In 2013 the speed past the school was reduced from 100kph to 80kph thanks to a concerted effort that Ms Marshall says “took years”. About the same time, the speed past the school was reduced to 60kph at drop off and pick up times. Recently flashing electronic signs reminding drivers of the 60kph speed limit, which are activated from the school’s office at peak times, were installed.Despite this, drivers frequently exceed those limits. Last month students and their principal, armed with high visibility jackets and a speed laser gun provided by Travelwise, recorded the

speeds of vehicles passing the school.Not only does the data they collected over six days show that 28 percent of the vehicles were exceeding the 60kph speed limit, but they also witnessed a near miss as a car turning into their school carpark was almost hit by a truck going at 72kph.

The data will be used as evidence to support the school’s case for a reduction of the speed limit.Ms Marshall would like to see the speed past the school dropped from 80kph to 60kph at all times. “The speed is 40kph in school zones and that’s not possible for us because of the highway. But 60kph seems reasonable – we are a community school and people are coming and going throughout the day.”She says as well as making submissions to Council, and AT, the student council has worked on raising awareness in the school community through handing out information, and even tickets, in its Kiss’n’ Drop zone.“We’ve been really lucky that there have been no accidents as yet. We want to keep it that way.”

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You could call Henish ‘a Jack of all trades’ – his strong interest in finding out how things work, saw him bringing home a 1980s Toyota Corolla to do up over the last 10 years. “I taught myself how to do the car up and liked it so much that I am now onto my second Corolla,” Henish says.Henish arrived in New Zealand from Fiji in 1991 and got stuck into training to become an Auto Electrician.“I knew very early on that I wanted my own business and started working at my Dad’s Four Square on the North Shore to learn the skills I needed.” Working in a retail business teaches you how to deal with customers and how to manage staff, making it a great training ground for learning about business. Henish is a big sports fan, with a love of motor racing, cricket and rugby so when he was looking for his own business, choosing something that tied in with his love of cars was paramount. “I have spent many years coming to the Coast, to the beaches, and I love the community,” Henish says. “Now that we have a business here, my wife (of 10 years Ashvina) and I have plans to relocate to the Hibiscus Coast.” Hibiscus Coast Panel beaters was established in 1987 and has established a reputation for excellent customer service.Henish says it was important to keep the skills and local knowledge of

Henish Kumar

existing staff.“Customers love the fact that we still have the same guys here. Some of the staff have been here for more than 20 years,” Henish says. “It was important to keep the staff as they have built up great relationships with our customers, so not a lot has changed – just me at the helm.” Henish will soon bring in an environmental paint product, which is water based and not tested on animals.“It’s not only good for the environment, but a lot better for the guys to use.” Another change that Henish has introduced is to bring in Rental Cars. Locals can rent cars short or long term. “This service has been very popular with locals,” Henish says.

Changes have been made to the road layout to try and improve safety on Whangaparaoa Road at the entrance to New World supermarket. Since the supermarket was built, traffic has built up on the downhill approach to the site and at rush hours, cars are frequently bumper-to-bumper. An Auckland Transport (AT) spokesperson says that ever since the New World site opened, AT has had complaints about the impact of the driveway on Whangaparaoa Road.The main issue is vehicles turning left into the site from Whangaparaoa Rd slowing down to a complete stop to turn in, affecting following vehicles.“The access is in the centre of a big dip on Whangaparaoa Road with vehicles generally travelling fast down the hill, so slowing down to turn into the site can force speeding drivers to brake suddenly,” the spokesperson says.Consultation between New World owner Foodstuffs, AT and Auckland Council, came to an agreement to cut back the traffic island and shift the bus stop further west to reduce the risk of rear end crashes (HM March 16).In addition, the vehicle entry point has recently been made wider.“This makes it more comfortable to get into the site without having to slow down so abruptly,” the AT

spokesperson says.Initially, AT advised Hibiscus Matters that the car park entrance was narrow in order to improve safety for pedestrians and the spokesperson says that this was taken into consideration when widening it.“Some options were discounted (such as a full slip lane) partly due to impact on the footpath and a refuge crossing for pedestrians,” the AT spokesperson says. “The new crossing is a lot wider than previously but as forward sight distance is very good for vehicles, and pedestrians continue to have priority across the vehicle crossing, the redesign was considered good from a pedestrian safety point of view.”The latest problem is that, since the changes have been implemented, vehicles have been seen attempting to turn right into New World car park from Whangaparaoa Rd, causing traffic to bank up behind them.AT says this entrance to New World is intended to be a left in/left out access only. “We have noticed there are some vehicles turning right into and out of the site by driving around the traffic island, but the new island in the middle of the crossing should prevent this dangerous behaviour.”AT will undertake some video monitoring to see if the changes have resolved the issues.

Changes at New World entry

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Drift trikes, designed to veer sideways rather than straight ahead, were developed in New Zealand and have a small but dedicated following on the Hibiscus Coast.The trikes, which are part BMX, part Go Kart and often home-built, are being ridden by children as well as adults locally.Drift trikes are low to the ground, and riders sit close to the rear wheels, racing down hills at speeds that can reach more than 80kph. Skidders on the rear wheels allow the trike to slide sideways around corners at speed, and do spins.Jaye J Pye, a painter in his 30s from Stanmore Bay, has been riding drift trikes for around 18 months along with his partner. Together with around half a dozen other Coasties, they belong to the 3 Wheel Motion Drift Trikes NZ group which is based in Papakura (find the group on Facebook).It’s an on-road sport, and suitable roads that can be ridden safely can be hard to find. Arkles Drive, a steep one-way road down into Arkles Bay from Whangaparaoa Rd, is popular with drift trikers and Jaye J says the subdivision being built behind Karepiro Drive is also a great location. In the Hunua Ranges there is a 3.5-minute run where the group can control the traffic using walkie-talkies. The trikes are road legal; they have brakes and riders put lights and reflectors on them if riding at night.The number of events and competitions for these trikes is slowly growing. One called Gravity Fest, held recently on Mt Ruapehu, had a course down the Bruce Road from Whakapapa skifield, lined with crash bags.What can make drift trikes worrying for traffic is what makes them fun to ride – it’s the sideways motion that Jaye J says gives the adrenalin rush.“It’s similar to luging,” he says. “Trying to stay in control or you’ll be beaten by the bike. We take care to stay on

Jaye J Pye says drift trike riding can be family friendly, or as extreme as you can handle.

Doing it sideways popular

our side of the road, and have a hand signal to let people know there’s a car coming.”Jaye J’s had a few crashes, generally resulting in bruises and scrapes. One involved a barrel roll across a road after his trike hit the kerb and the seat came off.Some of the locals ride with their kids – the youngest is aged eight. A full motorcross helmet is a must, and some riders also wear padded gear including elbow pads and chest plates.The original trikes were home built from BMX parts and although there are many on the market now, from $140 starters to $1400 for all the bells and whistles, building them yourself is still popular. Go Kart wheels with PVC pipe around them are used at the back, so that they slide, and BMX wheels are on the front.Jaye J has one underway in his garage using a chopped up BMX frame.He says the best way to learn is from experienced riders, or try yourself on small slopes, slowly building up to steeper inclines. “I started on Peter’s Way in the industrial part of Silverdale – it’s not very steep and there are a couple of corners so you can get the hang of it and how to control the trike,” Jaye J says.

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Mahurangi couple Steve and Dee West have received an EECA award for their fast charging stations for electric vehicles. EECA is the government agency that works to improve energy efficiency. The award recognises the company’s efforts to increase the number of charging stations available. They have built one at Kaiwaka and ones at Orewa and Warkworth are due to be completed this year “We are over the moon with the award. We’ve only been going for 16 months and to be recognised for what we are doing at this early stage is fantastic,” Dee says. The recognition comes as international research has shown the biggest

drawback for owning an electric vehicle is limited range. The couple hopes that installing fast chargers nationwide will increase electric vehicle ownership.“Electric cars are coming down in price and we have more choice, but the range is around 120 kilometres. That’s more than sufficient for 99 per cent of New Zealand drivers, but people are still reluctant because of the occasional road trip. That’s where charging stations come in.”The stations take between 10 to 25 minutes to charge an electric vehicle as opposed to around six hours home charging. With New Zealand’s power coming from 80 per cent renewable energy, the couple hopes to encourage more people to switch to electric.

Boost for electric vehicles

Bollards to hold back campersThe Hibiscus & Bays Local Board has taken steps to restrict parking, campervans and even camping on grassed areas of the Hammerhead at Gulf Harbour marina. At its meeting last month the local board allocated $40,000 from its Local Parks, Sports and Recreation budget for bollards, which will be placed at the far end of the Hammerhead, on the grass reserve where motorhomes have been parking. Local board member Janet Frizgerald says they make it crystal clear where you can and cannot park and also restrict campervan parking. Some people were even putting up tents on the site. She says the move is also to encourage Auckland Transport to develop more parking by the ferry terminal for ferry passengers, because it is currently not being efficiently used. The bollards are expected to be put in place this winter.

Mahurangi couple, Steve West (far left) and Dee West (far right) will complete a fast-charging electric vehicle station in Orewa this year.

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Ken Campbell loves an engineering challenge, but his latest venture would probably be daunting even for the late, great Burt Munro.After restoring classic and vintage motorcycles for over 34 years, the Matakana resident decided to build the world’s first V8 Indian motorcycle. What’s particularly challenging and unique about Ken’s project is that he designed and built the V8 motor from scratch. “It was an engineering challenge,” says Ken. “When I was at school I wanted to build my own engine. There are not many people that want to build a V8 engine that fits in a bike!” Ken built the 2.6 litre engine in the exact style as the traditional four-cylinder version and squeezed it into a 1936 bike.“I was riding it as a four cylinder in the morning and a V8 in the afternoon,” he says.

If Indian had built a V8 motor in the 1920s and 30s, Ken is confident it would look very similar to his creation.“I don’t like the word ‘custom’. The most important word is authentic. I don’t butcher genuine parts or alter them.”And that is why after three years, untold man-hours, and a dollar figure that Ken won’t reveal, he is now dismantling the 1936 V8 bike and putting it back to its original four-cylinder state and building a new bike to house the V8. He has already started work on a new Indian frame and will ultimately create a completely new bike.“I guess I’ve got a cheek calling it an Indian, but it will look like an Indian-four from the side. I will make it in the style I like most, which is around 1928, then I can fit the carburettors in and it will be perfectly styled to that era.”He plans to build two of his bespoke

Rodney’s fastest ‘Indian’

Ken Campbell with his unique V8 Indian motorcycle

Indian V8s. One might have to be sold to help recover some of the costs. Ken says that most people think of him as an Indian ‘nutter,’ but his love of old bikes is not restricted to the American brand. He has professionally restored more classic and vintage British makes than any other, including AJS, Triumph and Velocette, and has been rebuilding and personalising bikes for customers all over the world. Despite limiting his work to pre-WWII models, he has had a three-year backlog of customer work for the last 20 years.Those days started when he was a child in his father’s garage in Matakana, now the Rusty Pelican Pizzeria. Ken was a competent gas welder by the age of seven. “It’s in the blood,” he says. “I was basically brought up in the garage. Dad taught me how to weld and now I’m working with my grandson, Storm. He helped me put the V8 motor together.”In 1924, Ken’s dad bought a Henderson motorcycle from the bank manager when the bike was just one year old. The bike ended up going to Ken’s older brother and he still has it today. That was the beginning of Ken’s fascination with motorcycles.He doesn’t just build the bikes – a few years ago he made a wicker basket sidecar for his wife on a 1910 Indian. The pair then travelled approximately 4200 kilometres from Perth to Sydney. Ken says it was a fantastic adventure and the best thing they’ve ever done.And if you were wondering the answer is yes, Ken does have a Japanese bike…it’s in the cowshed.

y Windscreen wipers were invented by American real estate developer, farmer and viticulturist Mary Anderson, in 1903. Anderson patented the windscreen wiper, but she couldn’t sell the invention to the auto companies, who claimed that the device did not have commercial value. After her patent ran out in 1920, windscreen wipers eventually became a standard feature on cars.

y Most car horns beep in the key of F! y Your car uses six different fluids: motor oil, coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid and windscreen washer fluid. It’s important to replenish and change these fluids according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

y The term ‘tune-up’ was coined when Henry Ford was working on his first automobile prototype. This first ignition system was very simple; one ignition coil for one spark plug, so four spark plugs would require four ignition coils. These coils needed to be adjusted to provide the same spark intensity for better idle and acceleration. As these coils worked, they made a buzzing sound. When all the coils were adjusted properly, they all buzzed at the same level – they were “in tune”. Today’s tune up is a job for the professionals.

y Sweden’s Volvo made the three-point seatbelt design patent open and available to other car manufacturers for free, in the interests of safety.

Source: Auto Super Shoppes

Did you know?