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NOW PLAYING • West End traffic lights
West End traffic lights
Fed-up local residents say they are tired of the traffic lights at the Malfroy and Old Taupo Rds intersection being on the blink and want to know when they will be fixed for good.
The New Zealand Transport Agency, which is responsible for the traffic lights and state highway roads,says significant work is under way to replace the ageing lights and they would be "fully restored in the next few weeks".
During the past year the lights have stopped working on several occasions at the busy intersection. Currently there are yellow plastic covers over parts of the lights.
Resident Ivan Arnerich, who has become so frustrated he has posted about it on a public Rotorua Facebook page as well as the Transport Agency's Facebook page, said it was a safety issue and it shouldn't take months to fix.
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"We have been patient but it strikes me as being a bit of a dangerous situation because when you have a truck beside you, you can't see the lights (because of the yellow plastic covers) and the only indication it's time to go is when the truck goes."
Westend lights are always on the blink. Photo/Ben Fraser
Mr Arnerich said he figured there was a good reason for the lights always being out or only partially working but now it was "about time" it was fixed.
Westend Dairy owner Jaymesh Kumar said he was looking forward to the lights working properly.
He said when contractors were working in the area, it deterred customers from going into his shop.
Hot Bread Bakery owner Dara Lim said the lights were "always broken" and people were always trying to fix them.
The Rotorua Daily Post asked the New Zealand Transport Agency what the problem was and how long it would take to fix.
In a statement it said the intersection had ageing traffic lights and it needed new ones to bring it up to current standards.
But to do that it needed to replace the traffic signals, poles, controller and underlying cables.
Contractors started this work two weeks ago working between 7pm and 6am to reduce disruption to traffic and businesses.
The agency's statement said contractors had been laying new ducting and cables underground.
"They've been using a hydro-excavation method to avoid damage and disruption to other services, however, it is more time-consuming. Once the ducting has been installed, trenches reinstated, and the traffic signal hardware replaced and connected all of the new signal aspects will be working," the statement said.
They would be "fully restored within a few weeks", it said.
The statement said the intersection also had badly cracked and rutted asphalt in places, which was due to be replaced in March and April next year. The asphalt works had been postponed to allow the traffic signals work to happen first, it said.
"The traffic signal trenches will need time to 'settle down' (compact) under traffic loading, and so the asphalt works are now planned for later in the construction season."
The Rotorua Daily Post also asked why the lights changed so quickly, which was frustrating some people spoken to by the newspaper.
In response, an agency spokeswoman said: "The phasing is a temporary impact of the works which have affected the traffic detectors on the road. We are working on a solution to fix the phasing and that should be in place soon."
