Golding Road finally to be completed

The biggest problem Dave Evans has living in Golding Rd in Taradale seems to be when he backs a trailer.
The pitch of the road, which provides almost a grandstand view of his front garden, means that for part of the manouevre he loses sight of the trailer. When he backs out of his driveway, he can see through the rear window little else but the sky above.
"You've got to be careful," he said, pointing to the road outside, expected to be lowered about 80cm when the Napier City Council upgrades the peaceful western corner cul-de-sac, completing reroading of the former Borough of Taradale, which started when it became part of Napier City in 1968.
There was, however, little else to get anyone's back up either way when the council put upgrading plans to residents "in the local church hall" recently, leading to the city council's decision this week for the project go-ahead.
When the curbing and channelling will happen depends on when it can be dovetailed with undergrounding what is left of the overhead power supply, but nobody's in any rush.
Mr Evans said: "They told us years ago that it would be the last street to be done, but I don't think anyone was worried about it."
The council did Anderson Rd across the street's entrance, leaving Golding Rd alone apart from maintenance, and it could have remained that way.
"If the council had said it was not going to do it, no one would have got up in arms," Mr Evans said.
"I was quite happy if it stayed the way it was."
Most of those living in the street have been there at least 20 years, at least one longer than Mr Evans who arrived about 1962 when the houses were mainly only on his side of the road, and there were sheep and cows not too far away over the fences, and water supply was from tanks.
Councillors were told in a report that Golding Rd's ranking as last to get the makeover was due to the "relatively good physical condition of the road," and it thought prudent to gauge resident opinion before confirming the project and proceeding with design and construction.
The survey of 27 residences showed 24 in favour, and the work is now set to proceed at a yet-to-be determined cost of about $400,000, based on the reroading of other streets.
In 2004, it was revealed the city council had been spending about $660,000 annually in recent years on the reroading, and it set a path at a total cost of up to $4.1 million for completion.
With higher public expectations in some areas, including chicanes and landscaping as well as footpaths, reroading had since taken place in King St, Hammond Rd, Mission Rd, Osier Rd, Bowling Rd, Dolbel St, Anderson Rd, Travis St, Burness Rd, Forward St, Ypres St and Park Rd.