Links Ave has been turned into a cul-de-sac for a temporary trial to reduce traffic on the street. Photo / George Novak
Links Ave has been turned into a cul-de-sac for a temporary trial to reduce traffic on the street. Photo / George Novak
Hundreds of commuters illegally used a bus lane to avoid a newly installed cul-de-sac on Links Ave on the first day of a council trial to reduce traffic on the road.
The Tauranga City Council started the controversial trial - which has temporarily turned Links Ave into a cul-de-sacrather than a thoroughfare - on November 15.
The council says the trial had to begin urgently because of widespread safety concerns among parents of schoolchildren.
"We had an obligation to act on significant concerns for the safety of children quickly."
However, some residents in the area have staged protests to oppose the change, saying there was not enough consultation.
The council would not be issuing fines to those who had driven through the cul-de-sac so far, but enforcement action would be taken from early this week.
A $150 fine, the standard for driving in a bus lane, would be issued to those who violated the closure.
"We understand it is inconvenient for a lot of people, but safety is the priority.
Residents have had a range of reactions to the Links Ave closure. Photo / George Novak
"We are getting feedback from the community that they are seeing that reduction in traffic, and it's improving safety.
"We are also receiving some feedback that it's inconvenient, so we're working our way through that."
Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association president Philip Brown said he believed there had been a lack of consultation and that the trial had caused gridlock on Oceanbeach Road.
The association surveyed almost 900 residents and 97 per cent did not want Links Ave closed, he said.
Brown said he experienced slower commute times since the trial began and said the bus lane was the main issue. He believed no changes would mitigate its impact - apart from removing it.
In response, Bisley said the council knew travel times would increase when the road closed.
"Part of the reason to do the trial is to test - can the network cope with that traffic increase?"
He said the real-time data the council had received did not show major traffic disruption.
"For example, our traffic insights are showing a two- to five-minute increase on Oceanbeach Rd.
"The network appears to be coping, but we'll need longer to verify that."
Protest signs from residents who claim they weren't consulted about the Links Ave trial. Photo / George Novak
Bisley said Covid-19 prevented consultation before the trial started, so the council is combining the trial and consultation in the same period.
While he said every resident had the right to protest, Bisley would prefer that they provided in-depth feedback.
"We want to understand what the impact is."
Bisley said the trial was the first step in solving Links Ave's traffic issues. If it works, further changes could be made.
"We could take the bus lane away, we could move everything away from the shared path. The key for us is getting the [traffic] volume down."
The council would be interested in seeing the results of the association's survey.
Some residents continue to voice their opposition to the trial. Photo / George Novak
Lindsay Price, the council's strategic community relations manager, said community consultation was being combined with the trial period. She believed this method was actually better for residents.
"Users can give feedback based on their lived experienced, as opposed to diagrams they'd see in a report."
