Letters: Three-laning roads could help traffic congestion

Tauranga needs to make the most of its existing road space, a reader says. Photo / file

The congestion on Tauranga roads occurs mainly between 7am and 9am into the city and between 3.30pm and 6pm out of the city.

Most roads on bus routes could be made three lanes.

If the centre lane was a bus lane then buses could use the centre bus lane into the city in the morning and out of the city in the afternoon.

Whangaparoa to Silverdale uses this three-lane system apparently quite successfully right now. It might be necessary to use a single wider cycle lane rather than two separate cycle lanes to get the desired road width.

We certainly do not seem to be making best use of the road space we have at the moment.

Peter Dey
Welcome Bay

Water woes

With Tauranga residents having had to experience water restrictions during the past two summers which was the first time since water meters were introduced 20 plus years ago, I am amazed that this short-sighted council is actually proposing to delay completion of the Waiari Water Treatment Plant which was initially consented in 2008.

Due to the global financial crisis, resulting in reduced growth, the commencement of the treatment plant was delayed to start in 2011, but subsequent councils have delayed it even further and building in earnest only commenced in 2018.

I ask where have we gone wrong with electing some of our councillors, as unnecessary projects are undertaken such as the Phoenix Park redevelopment, the Greerton traffic calming debacle, the Waihi Rd/Cambridge Rd intersection upgrade, which invariably end up costing significantly more than budgeted for yet essential infrastructure projects such as water, wastewater, sewerage and roading are seemingly ignored.

A comment by Councillor John Robson (News, May 22) also concerned me whereby he is reported as saying that some budget blowouts were yet to be made public and if true that is, in my view, a disgrace.

Mike Baker
Bethlehem

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