Rotorua police have praised the patience and courtesy of motorists after ongoing problems forced traffic lights at Rotorua's busiest intersection to shut down for three days.
Traffic lights at the corner of Fenton St and Amohau St malfunctioned on Friday so police installed a temporary roundabout made with road cones.
The lights were repaired overnight on Sunday and were working again yesterday.
Sergeant Chris McLeod said there were no reported accidents at the intersection on the weekend.
"Because there were so many tourists in town it was necessary to act promptly so the roundabout was put in place to prevent any further issues.
"There were no crashes and people were very good. We were very pleased with drivers' behaviour," he said.
However, Rotorua District Council works manager Peter Dine said he had been asking the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), which is responsible for the lights, to have circuit boards and cabling replaced for some time.
"They're not RDC property, they are looked after by us in a joint contract with Concord.
"The circuit boards and the cabling are shorting out and need replacement.
"We have been telling NZTA for a long time that the electrics need replacing as this corner is very bad for geothermal activity and we just don't get enough life out of them."
Mr Dine said the required parts were supposed to be installed on Saturday, but did not arrive on time.
"The temporary roundabout was installed on Friday and by Monday morning it was gone and the lights working again.
"We are waiting for the NZTA to come up with some funding to replace the circuits and cabling, but until everything gets replaced this will continue to be a problem," Mr Dine said.
The NZTA did not respond to calls yesterday.
One Rotorua Daily Post reader commented on Facebook that people were using the Pak'nSave carpark as a shortcut.
"Be careful if you are at Pak'nSave. Some people are using the car park to cut through and avoid traffic. Some are not respecting that it's a car park and are zooming through without a care to the actual shoppers. If you plan to take the shortcut slow down," the reader said.