Businesses horrified at road-change plans

Major changes to traffic patterns on both sides of 15th Avenue over the next three years were heralded yesterday when suggestions for improving traffic flows on the "Central Corridor" from Cameron Rd to Hairini were unveiled at a public meeting.
Prepared for the NZ Transport Agency by Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, the proposals envisage blocking off most sidestreets connecting on to 15th Ave, or alternatively permitting left-turn-only entry and exits, eliminating direct access to businesses flanking the road, and creating a bus lane and cycle lane within the existing road reserve.
Earmarked for being blocked off are Turret Rd North, Mayfair St, Grace Rd (both sides) Alexander St, Bernard St and Devonport Rd.
If adopted the plan would effectively restrict side access to 15th Ave to the existing Fraser St intersection and an up-graded intersection at Burrows St, controlled by traffic lights.
The plan envisages blocking direct access to businesses flanking lower 15th Ave and creation of new service lanes along their frontages running to Burrows St.
Residents in the Mayfair Street area would receive a new access using an upgraded service lane running along behind existing businesses to the end of Burrows St South.
None of this is set in concrete and Beca is inviting public comment. However maps provided for public examination yesterday indicated the changes outlined above are the initially preferred option.
Aside from a suggestion that a clip-on cycle path be added to the Turret Rd bridge the scheme made no specific provision for road widening work on Turret Rd or 15th Ave.
However, there was a suggestion that some widening could be possible between Grace Rd and Devonport Rd to provide for a priority bus lane.
Beca representatives at the meeting in the 13th Ave Wesley Church gave no general overview of the proposals and simply answered questions from the public and invited them to make submissions if they wished.
Reactions ranged from disappointment to incredulity.
"I thought I was going to hear something constructive," said one man who has lived on 15th Ave for more than 20 years and watched traffic problems steadily worsen.
"Instead I find here pathetic Band-Aid ideas that do nothing to deal with the fundamental issue.
"Successive city councils have allowed massive residential development to take place in Welcome Bay and Ohauiti and failed to provide the infrastructure to cope.
"There is no justification for a bus lane to serve a half-hourly bus service. Fifteenth Ave needs to be four-laned and the sooner the better. They admit it is a main transport artery."
Another long term-resident said that rather than ``fiddle about' with 15th Ave, the city council and NZTA might be better dusting off old plans to develop a one-way system using 15th and 16th avenues.
Business owners at Turret Rd end of 15th Ave were aghast at the idea of a ``service lane' running along their frontages, saying their businesses relied on existing off street parking that would disappear. They predicted the idea would create a significant safety hazard.
Other residents predicted traffic lights at Burrows St would compound rush-hour traffic holdups and blocking off the Grace Rd intersection would seriously affect access to both Tauranga Intermediate School and St Marys School. Pushing that traffic into the already over-taxed Fraser St intersection was not a good idea in their view.
Not one person spoken to leaving the meeting was enthused by what they had been shown. People have until October 31 to comment on the proposal.