At a city delivery committee meeting on Monday, Tauranga City councillors voted to reduce the times people can be penalised for using the street incorrectly.
Councillors discussed atlength what the best hours would be for the safety of children at Mount Maunganui Intermediate, which has an entrance on the street.
One councillor wanted more community engagement to reach a long-term solution because the Links Ave closure led to “low trust” in the council.
People who don't follow the rules for Links Ave will face a $150 fine. Photo / John Borren
Now people can enter and leave Links Ave from the same end of the street any time, or drive through in restricted hours as long as there are more than 15 minutes between entry and exit.
Council staff recommended leaving the restricted hours at 7am-10am and 2pm-4pm.
If restrictions were not in place, there were concerns the street would be a popular alternative to Maunganui Rd and become a “rat-run”, according to safety and sustainability acting manager Karen Hay’s report to council.
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale. Photo / David Hall
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said he heard a lot of feedback from the community since the council discussed it in September.
This included that it was working well and people needed consistency, he said.
The new restricted hours he suggested created “a pretty good balance” as well as being the “least restrictive as possible”.
“It’s actually quite quiet for most of the morning then between 8am and 8.45, it’s absolutely crazy with buses and kids and all sorts.”
Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular said she had tried to bike down the street during those times and could vouch for the “chaotic-ness”.
“We’ve got to a stage where the people I’m talking to are talking very positively about the increased safety.”
After the September meeting, the council received 49 feedback submissions from people living on or near Links Ave, with 48 in favour of keeping the restrictions and one opposed.
Councillor Glen Crowther wants more community engagement. Photo / Alisha Evans
Councillor Glen Crowther supported the continued closure but wanted more community engagement to find a long-term solution for the street.
The recent engagement was from people who had “proactively reached out to council”, which is how the closure was implemented initially, he said.
The council needed to look at the “big picture”, which included public transport, who used the road, safety of children and alignment with other areas of the city.
He said it was “the single biggest issue that led to low trust” in the Tauranga City Council.
Councillor Rick Curach and Deputy Mayor Jen Scoular. Photo / David Hall
Councillor Rick Curach said the council wouldn’t be doing the issue justice without double-checking with the wider community as well.
Scoular said she disagreed that the engagement hadn’t happened.
“We are consulting, we are going out there.”
Crowther attempted to include a resolution to carry out low-cost community engagement, a public meeting and ask the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which ran the buses, to participate.
