Te Aro's Margaret Whitcombe Takes on NZTA in Diagram Dispute
The diagram shows a red car doing the right thing. One Te Aro pensioner has thirteen objections.
A Te Aro resident has fired off a 600-word letter to the editor about a new NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi diagram. The diagram explains how motorists should behave when an emergency vehicle approaches. By all accounts, it is fine.
The diagram shows a red firetruck heading for an intersection. A red car is circled in green and labelled as having made a "smart move" by not entering. A blue car appears, according to the letter writer, to be "loitering with intent".
Margaret Whitcombe, 71, of Vivian Street, told The Daily Yarn she had concerns. "In my day a firetruck came through and you pulled over. We didn't need a green circle telling us we'd done well. The blue car looks shifty."
Mrs Whitcombe's letter was addressed to three newspapers and copied to her local MP. Objections include the colour of the arrows ("too bold") and the implied praise of the red car ("smug"). She also notes the diagram fails to indicate which way the wind is blowing, calling this "a Wellington-specific oversight".
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson confirmed the diagram was "educational material". It was not, as Mrs Whitcombe suggested in paragraph four, "the thin end of a wedge". The spokesperson declined to comment on the blue car's character.
Mrs Whitcombe is now drafting a follow-up letter about the white car, which she says "has not been accounted for at all". The council should be ashamed.
— Concerned of Te Aro
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Reader Letters
diagram_doctor
Bloody diagrams everywhere!
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, we didn't faff about with diagrams! You knew what to do because you had common sense. These days, everything needs a manual.
truth_seeker_2023
Mate, this is just another way for the government to micromanage our lives. Next they'll be telling us how to breathe! It's a slippery slope.
Local_Knowledge
I'm from Te Aro and honestly, this is classic Margaret. She's always been a stickler for the details. I've seen her years ago questioning the council about yellow line placements. It's part of her charm.
windy_welly_native
Honestly, these public service 'instructions' are always done half-arsed. Why didn't they include the wind direction? Very important for big intersections here in Wellington.
Sandra McKenzie
There's no red car in the diagram, it's actually maroon. Big difference, people should get their colours right!
Garry (Halswell)
Who cares what colour it is, Sandra? The point is, these diagrams are pointless.
steve_the_kiwi
Ha! The blue car looks shifty... really hits home these petty things we focus on. What's next? CCTV for cars looking dodgy?
couchgremlin
Lol at the idea of a shifty car. Just move over and let the emergency vehicles do their job!
road_warrior_wellington
Margaret has a point, actually. The arrows are distracting, and it seems unnecessary to praise a car for doing the obvious. This is why the roads are so munted nowadays.