‘I’d rather walk across ice’: Resident speaks out over Timaru’s slippery tiles

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Timaru man Josh South says the CBD’s slippery tiles were putting people off coming into the town — especially those with a disability.

A Timaru man who uses crutches to get around says the CBD’s tiles are a hazard to everyone — not just those with mobility issues.

Josh South, who lost a leg in 1993 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, said while he was not one to complain about using crutches, when it came to getting about town, he thought it was appropriate to air his disgruntlement.

The town’s slippery tiles put him off coming into the CBD and he said he had lost count of the number of times he had slipped on them, injuring himself, ripping clothes, and breaking a cellphone.

Tiles after the rain in Timaru’s CBD. (File photo)

“It’s bloody embarrassing, not just for me, but for others, no one loves falling over in front of people,’’ South said.

“When its raining and wet I’d rather walk across ice than walk down the main street of Timaru.’’

The long-running issue with the town’s slippery tiles came up again late last month when, at the Timaru District Council’s Annual Plan deliberations, mayor Nigel Bowen suggested the town’s CBD Group take the lead on the issue.

When he contested the mayoralty six years ago, Bowen made a promise to sort out the town’s slippery tiles.

South said while the tiles looked nice “looks shouldn’t come before safety, in this day and age’’.

He said in raising his concerns he was not making a personal attack on anyone at the council, or councillors or the mayor.

Josh South said people should continue to complain about the tiles as “ratepayers should be listened to’’.

“I have a lot of respect for these people, I have friends in these roles.

“I just want the tiles sorted.’’

While the council undertook work last year to apply non-slip coating to the tiles, South said the tiles remained slippery.

“As the old saying goes ‘do it once, do it right’.

“Stop trying to fix them with the band-aid solution.’’

While the council pushed healthy and safety around other matters, the tiles themselves were a major health and safety issue within the community, he said.

“The tiles are extremely slippery, not just for people who use crutches, whether it’s short-term or long-term, it’s people who have mobility issues and it’s also people that have no issues with walking, they are a danger.’’

South said he had spoken with other residents about the issue and said people had given up complaining about them.

Almost six years ago, Nigel Bowen got down on Stafford St to have his photo taken ahead of the 2019 local body elections to highlight that sorting out the slippery tiles was part of his mayoralty campaign.

He had also approached the mayor and numerous councillors, he said.

“It makes me feel that the TDC don't actually care about people with mobility issues — when it rains, a lot of people can’t go into the CDB because of the tiles.’’

He felt not fixing the tiles was a form of discrimination.

“If someone stops someone from doing something due to having mobility issues yet others that don’t have these issues can do it, it is discrimination, which is what's happening now.

“The TDC are stopping people from experiencing the CBD when it’s raining or the tiles are wet, how? Because of the tiles that they refuse to do anything about.’’

He said it proved the council did not care about the community it served.

South urged people to continue to complain about the issue as “ratepayers should be listened to’’.

Speaking about the tiles earlier this month, Timaru CBD Group chairperson Glen Patterson told The Timaru Herald he had recently helped an elderly woman after she slipped on them “which is not a nice thing to have to do’’.

The council has been approached for comment.