It is understood Grenfell is now looking into the matter with urgency, but he declined to comment further.
In response to Ryan's plan to move the barrier, Tauranga City Council infrastructure acting general manager Martin Parkes said simply, "It's a criminal offence, the police would become involved."
"It would be particularly unsafe for cyclists and that's why it was removed originally."
The Bay of Plenty Times has sighted the design favoured by the council as an option that could be quickly implemented to resolve the issues. The concept, from Beca consultants, was presented to the council last week.
It involves reopening the eastern entrance of Welcome Bay Lane at a more acute angle to Welcome Bay Rd, forcing traffic to slow to a safe speed before turning or giving way to cyclists.
Brownless and Curach each said that by using temporary traffic management, such as road cones and bollards, the "quick fix" concept could easily be in place within a week - pending sign off from safety auditors.
Parkes confirmed the council favoured this as a primary design but said there was a process the council was obligated to stick to and any action on this would still be some time away.
"We have to do it in a way that satisfies the safety audit. Which is why the lane was shut in the first place," Parkes said.
"We appreciate it is frustrating for people who live out there. The underpass was accepted with expectations that traffic would flow better. We want it [this] resolved as quickly as we can but safety is always going to be our top priority.
"This could have resulted in a serious or fatal incident, we had to take action immediately."
Parkes said the intersection's issues were complex and unlike any other similar junctions around the city, including the Welcome Bay Rd cycle lane and left-hand turn at the Hammond St traffic lights.
Grainger said residents' patience had run out. Action at the intersection "has to happen now".
When asked whether this was at the expense of road users' safety, Grainger responded that in cases such as this, the safety issue was "over the top".
"I feel there are things they could do that are still safe ... don't get me wrong, safety is absolutely a priority but how far do you go?"
What's the issue?
Welcome Bay Lane was closed unexpectedly on September 28 after cyclists raised safety concerns over how the road intersected with the cycleway. The cordon was expected to be in place for three months, but nearly six months on it remains closed.
An independent report into the transport agency-led Maungatapu Underpass project - prompted after the Bay of Plenty Times' coverage - found 25 safety issues, including the Welcome Bay Rd cycleway, which cuts across the entrance to Welcome Bay Lane.
The lane acted as an easy slip road for traffic travelling 60km/h towards Hairini, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Ohauiti. That traffic is now funnelled into a controlled intersection at Hammond St, where it waits to turn left.
