Colin Poultney said the roundabout was 'chaos' when the changes were first made. Photos / NZME
Colin Poultney said the roundabout was 'chaos' when the changes were first made. Photos / NZME
Tauranga motorists say traffic dividers are causing havoc at a roundabout in Tauriko.
Tauranga City Council contractors have placed traffic dividers around the roundabout intersecting Taurikura Drive, Takitimu Drive/State Highway 36 and Lakes Boulevard.
Some drivers say the new layout is confusing, with dividers restricting motorists from changing laneson the roundabout, and taking some exits down from two lanes to one.
Colin Poultney, from Ōhauiti, uses the roundabout every day to get to and from work.
“On the first day I went through there, they had these cones everywhere. It confused everyone and people were stopping in the middle of the roundabout. Just absolute chaos,” he said.
Poultney said he hadn’t witnessed any crashes, “but I’ve seen people just run cones over and I’ve seen cars come very close to hitting one another”.
He said it was like the council slapped the cones down and made the road users figure it out.
Colin Poultney drives through the roundabout on his way to and from work every day. Photo / Brydie Thompson
The changes were related to works between the roundabout and the Taurikura Drive/Whiore Ave intersection. These started on May 26 and were expected to take a year, a council statement said.
More lanes were being added, and the roundabout used to enter Tauranga Crossing would be replaced with a signalised intersection. The council said this would futureproof the route for more traffic as the area grew.
Council head of transport Mike Seabourne told SunLive it had worked closely with its contractor to establish an accelerated programme to get the project completed safely and efficiently.
“Traffic management has been implemented in a way that supports this methodology and the layout of upcoming construction phases on Taurikura Drive.
“We’re aware of challenges drivers are experiencing and have made adjustments on the roundabout, including shifting lane delineators and installing additional signage.”
Seabourne said the council would continue to monitor the situation and look for improvements where feasible.
Other motorists shared their views on the roundabout issue with SunLive.
Kayla - who didn’t want her last name published - said she used the roundabout to get to and from work at Animates on Taurikura Drive.
The first time she used the new layout, it was chaos as people weren’t paying attention to the lane they needed to be in, she said.
Some customers had told her they didn’t see the sign, or it was too late before they noticed it.
The traffic dividers on the Tauriko roundabout between Takitimu Drive/State Highway 36 and Lakes Boulevard. Photo / Ayla Yeoman
“You can clearly see the signs. As long as you’re in the correct lane, and people coming from Rotorua don’t hop in front of you, it’s quite easy just to slip into the right one.”
Kayla said she believed the SH36 roundabout did not need changing.
She viewed the work on intersections around Tauranga Crossing as ”somewhat of a waste".
“A traffic light system might work a little better to get the flow of traffic going better,” Kayla said.
The traffic dividers on the Tauriko roundabout between the Lakes Boulevard exit and the Takitimu Drive/State Highway 36 turn-off. Photo / Ayla Yeoman
At this stage works were not impacting business, however she said when work began to create the signalised intersection and detours were put in place, it would affect businesses in the area.
Another motorist, who did not want to be named, said when approaching the roundabout from the south, it was a bit painful having all the northbound traffic queueing in one lane at the roundabout.
“Then, when heading the other way later in the day, it is at first confusing knowing which lane to enter to be able to exit south, especially with the pop-up lane markers restricting lane changes.”
The Tauriko roundabout intersecting Taurikura Drive, Takitimu Drive/State Highway 36 and Lakes Boulevard. Photo / Ayla Yeoman
“Cones have been used to block off the second lane, so you have to merge beside the State Highway 36 traffic.”
The reader also said they tried to exit Lakes Boulevard in the left lane and had not been able to merge into the roundabout.
“I saw the arrows on the lane indicated that I could turn left or continue straight through the roundabout. However, cones were in the way and I was unable to continue straight, which meant I had to turn left on to State Highway 36 towards Rotorua until I could find a place to U-turn.”
A SunLive reader from the area said they had to go around the roundabout twice as they didn’t understand when to change lanes to enter Taurikura Drive in time.
