Next phase for raised crossings
The next phase of raised pedestrian crossing work in Wairarapa continues next week, with a new crossing to be built on State Highway 2 in Featherston. It is part of ongoing work in the region to “provide safer crossings in local towns”, Waka Kotahi has said, and is just one of five being built over the coming months. Raised crossings have already been built in Carterton, Featherston, and Masterton. The SH2 Featherston works schedule runs from tomorrow until Tuesday, November 21 on Sunday to Thursday nights from 6pm to 6am. There will be Stop/Go traffic management on SH2 and drivers can expect short delays. The Birdwood St intersection will be closed on Monday to Tuesday from 6 m to 6pm, with local road detours available.
Scam alert
Scammers have created fake Facebook profiles and groups for the Wairarapa Walking Festival [WWF], which began yesterday with walks at Henley Lake and Gladstone. WWF organisers are warning people not to accept any friend or group requests from pages claiming to represent the festival, and have confirmed that there will be no live streams of WWF events. As such, people should not click on any links claiming to be live streams. Most of the walks are free but registration is required. To register online for events, head to the official website at cartertonec.co.nz/walking, where links to the different walks are available.
20th century bird
Votes for Forest and Bird’s Bird of the Year close tomorrow. The annual poll is even more significant this year, as the winning warbler will also be crowned bird of the century, to celebrate Forest and Bird’s 100th birthday. A wide range of feathered friends are competing for the top perch, and the voting process includes selecting your top five birds and submitting an email address. To have a look at which birds are in contention, head to birdoftheyear.org.nz.
Berm backlog
Masterton District Council has advised that it is running behind on its normal schedule for berm mowing, due to an unexpected staff shortage at its parks contractor. The council advises it may take several weeks before the catch-up work can be completed.
