Opinion: City will adjust to manage traffic congestion

There's no doubt about it. Tauranga's roads are certainly getting more and more congested. Photo/File

There's no doubt about it. Tauranga's roads are certainly getting more and more congested.

Given the city's recent population growth, it's not surprising.

It was always going to happen. It is the one downside to living in a growing city.

Previous councils had the foresight to start to future-proof the city's roading network in some areas. Route K was one such example (unfortunately the Global Financial Crisis pushed the expected growth back further than expected). Even Takitimu Drive is pretty good for a city of our size.

In recent years that seems to have stopped.

The construction of the Harbour Bridge eight years ago was a great move - but nothing has been done since to help cope with the population growth and the increase in the number of cars on the road in that area.

As we reported on Saturday, the level of congestion on Hewletts Rd is pretty much back to what it was eight years ago.

We do need our council and the Government to look ahead when addressing roading. Don't just do what is needed to ease traffic now but look ahead to what this city could be in 20 years and aim to cater to that.

But, as with every city, we can't expect to be able to drive our cars everywhere forever. Public transport will have to play more of a role.

Tauranga City Council transport manager Martin Parkes said 97 per cent of all work and recreation trips in Tauranga were in private cars - the worst rate in the country.

As the city gets bigger that will change - but first there will have to be a breaking point.

Few will choose to bus until it is faster to jump on one than get in your car. In this day and age things are all about efficiency, so until public transport is more efficient, or cheaper, the uptake will be slow.

There may be some growing pains but the city will adjust to manage.

It will, however, require a mixture of roading upgrades, public transport improvements and perhaps most of all, a change in the attitude of Tauranga residents.