We Say/You Say: Electric Scooters
Hi Hamilton,
Should electric scooters stay or go?
Electric scooters are set to stay on Hamilton Streets with pedestrian and user safety remaining a concern.
Hamilton City Council's Infrastructure Operations Committee approved the extension to operate indefinitely and has opened up a previously exclusive contract to other operators.
Councillor Sarah Thomson said she had heard from the disabled community and older residents that sharing the footpath with scooter riders could be a terrifying experience, and she had recently experienced a close call herself with a scooter rider.
"I was coming around a corner, I was pushing [my son] Leo in a pram and I nearly collided with someone riding a scooter. Leo, who is 10-and-a-half months old, would have been the first one hit."
The committee has attempted to address these concerns, with three-monthly reports needing to be submitted to ensure companies and scooter riders are adhering to regulations. Public liability insurance worth $2 million will also be required from each operator.
Share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comments used in the Hamilton Press.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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0% Yes
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0% No
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0% Other - I'll share below
Who do you want to nominate?
Paddy Gower is coming to Hamilton and “looking for ... a bloody great Waikato character who just gets on and gets things done. The criteria is somebody who has a positive attitude and makes the community a better place."
To nominate a Good Kiwi, comment below or email news@waikatotimes.co.nz with the name and a description of of why your nominee should win.
Unbuckled children can become ‘missiles’ in a crash, police warn
Hundreds of Waikato children are not being properly strapped into cars, and police recently saw the effects in a crash where one became “a missile”.
Over the past three years, police found 1444 children being driven in Waikato with the incorrect restraints. That’s the second worst behind Auckland, showing the old adage of making it click is not clicking.