Communication improvement for Riccarton

Press, 24 July 1984, Page 9

Communication improvement for Riccarton

The Riccarton Borough Council decided it needed a more positive communications system when electricity faults occur, after hearing a report on last Thursday’s power failure. A loss of supply in the main feeder cable to the Kilmarnock Street Substation caused a black-out for more than three hours. The power cut affected about 1500 consumers including Riccarton Mall and the Chateau Regency. Thursday is late shopping night in Riccarton, and the fault occurred between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. — peak shopping time. Cr P. D. O’Meeghan told councillors that communication had been a problem. It had been a little time before the servicemen had gone into action, he said. There had been a delay of about 30 minutes in reaching the duty serviceman, who was attending another fault. The serviceman’s wife had called the overseer, who had arrived at the main Foster Street sub-station about 15 minutes before the duty serviceman. The cause of the power failure appeared to have been an overload which caused the feeder circuit breaker to disconnect the supply, the council was told. Since the fault part of the load had been redistributed off the circuit to prevent a recurrence. Cr G. R. Marriner said he had been interested to note that one of the progress reports on the failure had been given on television and he was not sure what use it would have been to those affected. The Town Clerk of Riccarton, Mr J. B. Skinner, said that he had been most concerned that the Ministry of Transport had decided not to put officers on those corners where traffic lights were out. It was a matter he intended taking up with the chief traffic officer, he said. There had been gaps in the technical communication and also in communication with the public, he said. Cr J. W. Warren said that he had been impressed by the help given by the Waimairi District Council. It had put some of its vehicles with flashing lights of corners where the traffic lights were out and had also provided people in striped jerkins to direct the traffic, he said. Cr Warren said he was appalled that the Ministry of Transport had not helped. A report is being prepared for the next council meeting on arrangments to ensure a better system of communication. This will include improved radio telephone coverage, use of a telephone answering agency, and guidelines for levels of public communications. A report ’ is being prepared on signs and hoardings in the Riccarton town centre. Some councillors had expressed concern that businesses in the commercial area were placing sandwich board-type signs on the footpath outside their premises. Cr Warren said that after all the money that had been spent on improving the town centre, it was time to take the initiative and clear problem.

The council should have a set of guidelines to give businessmen as to what it thought was a suitable sign, he said. The Deputy Mayor of Riccarton, Cr R. S. Lester, said that if all businesses had a

sandwich sign on the footpath, there would be no footpath. A report about signs was “in the pipeline” and the council would soon be able to consider the matter, he said.