Pool provides accessible changing room – but there’s a catch
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A changing room will be exclusively designated for disabled pool users at the EA Networks Centre in Ashburton.
But whether it can actually be enforced - and therefore have a positive impact - has been questioned by the council.
The decision to provide one accessible changing room followed a request through a public submission.
Mark Somerville asked the council in December to consider making the poolside accessible change rooms solely for disabled people and their carers, following a previous submission in 2016.
EA Networks Centre aquatic centre has four disabled changing rooms available, including one with an electric hoist. The hoist was paid for by external funding sourced by Somerville.
However, unlike disabled car parks, there is no legislation enforcing who can use accessible changing rooms, only that they should be provided.
In a report recently presented to council, staff recommended not making any changes to the status quo - having both pool-side accessible rooms be open to all pool users.
But councillors decided to designate the changing room with the hoist to be exclusively for disabled use, in six votes to four.
As the motion was put forward for a vote, Ashburton mayor Neil Brown pointed out “the staff don’t have any ability to enforce this, be aware of that”.
Councillor Richard Wilson said he was not opposed to accessible toilets, but was opposed to exclusive use of the changing rooms.
“One of the biggest problems at a pool is code browns and you want as many toilets open to all people as possible.
“I’d rather see them open to all.”
Councillor Leen Braam said it was out of respect to those with a disability in the community who may find it harder to access the pool.
Councillor Carolyn Cameron agreed, believing at least one dedicated room for people with disabilities “is the minimum we can do to ensure that our disabled community can access a publicly provided facility”.
“When you look at the footprint of the [aquatic centre], it’s not that vast that people can’t go to a bathroom further away.”
Councillor Tony Todd said he was sympathetic, but understand the inability of staff to enforce the toilet's use.
New signage will be installed to indicate exclusive use to those with a disability in one change room, but it won’t guarantee use of facilities.
People and facilities group manager Sarah Mosley said the number of disabled users at the pools was not monitored as staff couldn't always identify or determine if a person has a disability, with some disabilities not being visible.
This meant staff will not be able to enforce who is eligible to use the changing room.
Sport and recreation manager Richard Wood said he has never personally observed someone with a visible disability having to wait for a disabled change room.
The hoist cannot be used without staff “providing a piece of equipment”, Wood said
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Ashburton’s second bridge cost bumped up
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The cost to build Ashburton’s second bridge has leapt to $130 million as questions remain on how it will be funded.
The council has kept its contribution at $7.5m, despite the estimated price jumping by 15% in two years.
Ashburton Council chief executive Hamish Riach provided councillors with an update on the second bridge after he recently met with Minister of Transport Simeon Brown.
The Government has made the bridge, a key State Highway 1 route in Canterbury, a national transport priority.
Minister Brown made it clear that the council would need to look for funding in the National Land Transport programme process, Riach said.
That will start with conversations between the council and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi around “innovative funding mechanisms”.
After meeting, Riach and Mayor Neil Brown reached out to NZTA regional relationships director James Caygill about “actively getting on with those conversations with their funding people”.
The National Land Transport programme is an investment package for priority transport projects.
For a project to be included in the National Land Transport Programme it has to feature in a council’s long-term plan, Riach said.
The council has chosen to keep the $7.5m figure in its budget planning, even though the cost of the project has increased.
The business case prepared in 2022 estimated the project – a 360m-long bridge across the Ashburton/Hakatere River and new road infrastructure - would cost $113m.
An NZTA document prepared in November estimated the project will cost between $100-$200m.
A recent report from Infometrics, commissioned by Local Government New Zealand, found that over the last three years, costs have gone up significantly and bridges are 38% more expensive to build.
“We note the bridge is programmed to cost $130m and our share, at $7.5m, may or may not survive the whole funding process.
“A lot is going on in this space that is incredibly uncertain.”
The council will adopt its LTP in June – including the $7.5m figure – before knowing what the NLTP entails, Riach said.
“It makes for a messy picture for this project in our formal plans and budgets.”
The minister acknowledged the need for the bridge - easing congestion and improving safety on SH1 - and as a result, the subsidy rate “needed to reflect the improvement to the state highway network”, Riach said.
“We took from that, that a subsidy rate ahead of our normal FAR (funding assistance rate) was entirely justified.”
Rather than a 51% FAR subsidy the business case suggested a 62%, but the question remains how to fill the gap between 62% and 100%, Riach said.
Mayor Brown said the minister also spoke of the Government looking at different ways of funding roading going forward.
This included the possibility of road tolls, Riach said.
“He reiterated that it is certainly his intention to review the way in which tolling is a mechanism for funding projects a little bit later in the year.”
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No tolls without law change
Under legislation, tolls can only be placed on state highways, not on a local road, which is what the second bridge is considered to be.
It also prevents an NZTA toll from raising funds for a council project – so a toll on the existing SH1 bridge couldn’t be used to fund the new local road bridge.
A legislative change could see the possibility of introducing a toll on the existing SH1 Ashburton/Hakatere Bridge or on the second bridge to pay for the project.
There are currently only three toll roads in New Zealand – the Northern Gateway Toll Road north of Auckland, the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road, and the Takitimu Drive Toll Road, both in Tauranga.
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