Councillor and business owner Raj Kumar wants more information available to the public about the Springfield roundabout project. Photo / Andrew Warner
Councillor and business owner Raj Kumar wants more information available to the public about the Springfield roundabout project. Photo / Andrew Warner
A $490,000 project to improve safety at a Rotorua roundabout is taking a toll on nearby businesses, with frustrated motorists bypassing the area over delays.
However, the council says it has communicated clearly with local residents and businesses and is happy with the traffic management systems in place.
Work is under way to install a roundabout at the Otonga and Springfield Rds intersection in a bid to improve safety and access to cycleways.
Rotorua district councillor Raj Kumar owns the Springfield Superette beside the intersection, and said the work had impacted his business.
The intersection is controlled by temporary traffic lights, which Kumar said was leading to people having to wait for several minutes at the intersection.
The plan for the intersection. Image / Supplied
People were choosing to bypass it instead, he said.
In the long term the work would improve safety, which was necessary, he said.
"I'm not complaining, sometimes you've gotta go backwards to move forwards."
However, he believed there could have been a traffic management system put in place that would have allowed traffic to flow more freely than the traffic light system.
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokeswoman said the council had received no complaints about delays at the intersection.
"The contractors determine the most appropriate methods for traffic management. Given space restrictions and the nature of the work being undertaken, temporary traffic signals were deemed most appropriate for this site. Temporary traffic signals work differently to permanent lights – they are activated by sensors so timing will vary depending on traffic demand at any given time."
She said the project was scheduled for completion mid-April (weather dependent) but works immediately outside the school would be finished before the school year started.
Kumar was also concerned about what he called a lack of information given to the public about the project.
Signage should have been erected near the site that detailed what work would be happening, the timeframe for the project, and its cost, he believed.
However, the council spokeswoman said there were four standard project billboards at the work site which included the expected completion time.
She said letters had been hand-delivered to local residents and businesses since December 2016 and council staff had met with Kumar several times to discuss the project and he offered to liaise with other business owners and pass on information. There had also been communication with the school and meetings between contractors and Kumar.
Traffic at the Springfield Roundabout. Photo / Andrew Warner
Next door at Guidough's Bakery, owner Guido Bachmann said the upgrade work was "extremely frustrating".
One of his customers had told him he would not be coming to the store any more because of the delays, Bachmann said.
"There's been a lot less [customers], it's a lot slower.
"It's just bad timing for us."
The council spokeswoman said the council would work with the school to find ways to ease congestion for parents dropping off and collecting children, including three walking school bus routes so parents can drop their children off at an alternative location and they will be walked to school with supervisors.
The budget allocated for the total project, which includes intersection improvements and CyWay works (53 per cent of which is funded by NZTA) was $490,000.
Design •The raised platform pedestrian crossings which are being constructed at the intersection are designed to encourage drivers to slow significantly as they enter the roundabout. •Crossings are being installed across the two busiest roundabout exit/entry points •Infrastructure is installed underground should there be a need for traffic signals in the future. •Otonga School has helped with design of the crossing and shared paths outside the school area. •The changes will create one additional carpark outside the businesses at the intersection. - Rotorua Lakes Council
