Bay politicians see red on lack of action to solve roading problems

Tauranga city councillor Terry Molloy said something needed to happen now to solve traffic problems on SH2. Photo/file

Frustration has boiled over among Western Bay council politicians desperate to see something happening to ease the area's escalating traffic problems.

''Now is the time people want to see action but action is what is lacking,'' Western Bay District councillor Mike Williams said.

''Let's do some easy-to-do projects so people feel progress is being made...frustration is brewing,'' he told a recent Tauranga City Council transport committee meeting.

Tauranga councillor Terry Molloy said State Highway 2 to Katikati was at a critical stage and they could not afford to wait five to 10 years for solutions to happen.

''Something needs to be done now.''

Looking at the city centre, he said a mechanism was needed to get through the big changes expected in the next five years and he was not seeing that in the strategies.

Councillor Larry Baldock said there was a disconnect. Council staff and the Government talked about compliance and integration while the politicians representing the community asked: ''When is something going to be done?''

Baldock said 15 months ago he suggested a slip lane would help peak time congestion at Barkes Corner but he had still not received a reply. They were still studying the safety and everything else that needed to be studied.

''Let us please get something done in this city.''

Bay of Plenty Regional Council's transport committee chairman Stuart Crosby said the problem was the way decisions were being made.

''We are paralysing ourselves with over-analysis.''

As an example, he pointed to programme business cases required for NZ Transport Agency projects.

Crosby looked back to the days when the agency's regional directors had delegated authority to get on and do things, but the agency took that away when new teams were set up in Wellington.

''Since that happened it has led to not much being done on the ground.''

He said he had challenged the agency on this issue and he was told that different regional managers had been approaching things differently.

''I said, so what. That probably reflects New Zealand.''

He said New Zealand roading authorities started to analyse themselves to death around 2016.

''We need to get back to the space of getting stuff done now.''

The Omokoroa intersection upgrade had been nearly ready to go but once the agency started looking at four-laning SH2 from Te Puna to Omokoroa, the project stopped because they wanted to know the implications of the four-laning on the design of the intersection.

''At the end of the day, nothing happened. We need to turn that around and have trust and confidence in our community and for NZTA to get on and have the confidence to do something.''

Tauranga council transportation manager Martin Parkes said he understood the sense of frustration but that a lot of the planning detail was very important. A lot was going on that would make a difference to the transport network.

Improvements over the next 12 months included to Barkes Corner and sections of SH2 and the start of stage one of the 15th Ave upgrade.

''I can assure you that a huge number of projects will be delivered in the next two to three years that will improve things hugely.''

The committee was told that it was critical the council had a streamlined approach to working with the agency.

Councillor Baldock responded that he had seen integrated planning happen at least three times in the last 20 years.

''We have sat the at the cusp of seeing our transport problems solved. We have done integrated planning, but then something happens and we are back to where we were.''