Christchurch Politicians Face-Off

The good humoured stoush between local Christchurch Community Board member John Stringer and Cr Aaron Keown over two Harewood Road intersections continues.

John Stringer (who lives on Harewood Rd) and Aaron Keown (who lives near Gardiners Road) not far from each other are at 'odds' over a very public bet Keown put up of $100 to anyone who could claim a "busier" or "more dangerous" intersection "in Christchurch" other than Harewood/Breens for which Keown campaigned in 2016 for traffic lights to be installed (which was turned down by council).

John Stringer has not travelled far to "claim" the $100 dollars - just 1km down the same road– to point out that the HarewoodRd/Russley Rd/Johns Rd intersection is much busier and has several factors that make it a much more dangerous junction

"But Aaron will not cede me his $100 dollars! There is now obfuscation and technical qualifications about funding allocations that were not there before" John Stringer said (he offered a $100 monopoly note in exchange to Keown or that the two men split a $50 donation to charities in their Papanui and Harewood wards respectively".

"IT IS SIMPLY NONSENSE for Aaron to claim Harewood/Breens is more dangerous or busier –It is not!" Stringer said.

And to back up his point and "claim" the public $100 wager, Stringer has provided a Google maps graphic to support his case "Harewood/Russley/Johns has 13 egress/entry points depending on what/how you count them; Harewood/Breens only 8".

"Harewood/Breens intersection has Breens Intermediate several hundred metres down the road but Harewood/Russley/John's has (WITHIN 100metres0:

1) a busy shopping centre;

2) a main conduit to the airport;

3) a church;

4) a subterranean cycle way because it's TOO DANGEROUS to have it cross the intersection itself;

5) a play centre; and

6) Harewood School" John Stringer said "Wager over Aaron; game set and match! Put up the $100 please!"

ENDS

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