The signs warning drivers of the Links Ave cul-de-sac trial. Photo / Talia Parker
The signs warning drivers of the Links Ave cul-de-sac trial. Photo / Talia Parker
It's safe, but it's inconvenient.
That's the view of Mount Maunganui residents affected by a minimum four-month roading trial that turned Links Ave, a former commuter rat-run, into a cul-de-sac between Concord Ave and Solway Place. Only buses, bikes, emergency and some services vehicles are allowed through.
At the halfwaypoint of the trial, one resident says it's "just crap" while another thinks it's "wonderful for the kids".
Fines worth at least $1.34m have been issued to people accused of illegally using the bus lane.
In the first four weeks of the trial, which started on March 28, 16,000 vehicles used the bus lane and 8000 $150 fines and 8500 warning letters were issued.
Tauranga City Council regulation monitoring team leader Stuart Goodman said fines were down 52 per cent since they started being issued in the trial's third week.
He said this showed a "behaviour change with fewer people accessing Links Ave by using the bus lanes".
Goodman said 11,318 fines had been issued, 2359 had been waived.
The bus lane had been added to the Traffic and Parking Bylaw, and therefore the bus lane was enforceable under the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004, he said.
The proposal to incorporate the trial into the bylaw was brought to the council at a February 14 extraordinary meeting and came into effect on February 28.
The council's director of transport, Brendan Bisley, said traffic volume data for Links Ave and the surrounding streets would be monitored in the coming weeks but feedback and observations suggested increased traffic in Golf Rd, Concord Ave and Oceanbeach Rd.
"We can't speak on behalf of residents. However, this trial is about safety.
Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley. Photo / George Novak
"So far, we have seen a significant reduction in vehicles using the street [Links Ave] creating a quieter, calmer environment for school children and residents."
Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Philip Brown said he thought the comment about behaviour change was "the most peculiar comment" he had ever heard.
"When you close the road, of course people have to have a behaviour change. That's stating the obvious."
He said the true test would be if the road were reopened.
"If you reopen the road and nobody used it, then that would be a behaviour change, but we haven't got to that part of the experiment yet, so we don't know."
He said he thought the road could be closed during school pickup and drop-off times rather than 24/7.
Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association president Philip Brown. Photo / Talia Parker
Links Ave resident Teri Logie has been campaigning against the trial.
She said while the street was quieter, the trial had made her feel "cut off from the community" because formerly quick trips could now take up to an hour.
"Everything is just so much more hassle."
She said there were a lot more people "hooning" up the street now it was quiet, "including during the daytime when there's school kids around".
She said moving the bus lane away from the kerb had increased safety in the street.
The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend visited Links Ave to ask residents their feelings about the trial.
The residents spoken to did not wish to be named, and had a range of opinions.
Links Ave resident Teri Logie. Photo / supplied
One said she "didn't really like" the trial.
She said it took her twice as long to get home from Bayfair, and she had observed an increase in people speeding down the road.
"I don't want to go four or five blocks just to go home from shopping. It's just crap."
She did say it was now easier for her to leave her driveway to take her children to school in the mornings, but Oceanbeach Rd was "parked up – it's just ridiculous".
One resident said she was "on both sides of the fence".
She said the trial had increased traffic and made it more difficult to get around, but she liked how quiet it had made the area.
She said she was no longer "overly worried" about her kids playing on their front lawn, whereas before the trial she was "very worried" about them running on to the road and being hit.
Another resident said the trial made the street "way, way safer".
She said moving the bus lane away from the kerb was "wonderful for the children".
"I do understand that it's creating quite a lot of problems for people who commute, but for kids, it's a huge safety [improvement]."
She said before the trial she had seen many near-misses with children and buses, and her own young daughter had fallen onto the road.
In response to the comments from residents, Bisley said the trial was implemented because traffic in Links Ave was three times higher than what a residential street should have.
"The additional traffic was creating an unsafe environment for residents and school children which is why the restriction is in place 24/7.
"At the start of the trial, we were seeing a high level of drivers violating the cul-de-sac (non-compliance) which has resulted in warnings (for the first two weeks) and fines. Now that we are halfway through, the level of non-compliance has reduced significantly suggesting that drivers are changing their behaviour from using Links Ave, to choosing alternative routes.
"We appreciate the feedback we have been receiving from the community about the cul-de-sac trial. This feedback will help us inform a way forward."
