“The money is there, but it has to be spent by June 30.”
The funding of $460,000 could only be spent on the removal of the current crossing and the design and construction of two new crossings, he said. It couldn’t be used on any other options such as traffic lights or crossings elsewhere in the district.
Therefore, he said, councillors needed to decide if they wanted to replace the one crossing with two, and if so, determine where the two crossings would go.
“So the first question we need to answer, is do we want to do build the two crossings or not,” said Mayor Neil Volzke.
Councillor Grant Boyde said he supported it “in principle”.
“As long as we can do it in the $460k budget, if so, I support it.”
Councillor Ellen Hall was in favour of the change to two crossings.
Councillor Steve Beck said his support depended on where the two crossings would be on Broadway.
Volzke then asked if there were any opposing views.
“Does anyone not support replacing the one crossing with two?”
With no councillor speaking against the change to two crossings, the decision was made to go ahead with the disestablishment of the current crossing and its replacement with two new ones.
Where those two new crossings would go, however, was not as easy a decision for elected members.
Councillors had been given two possible options, both of which met the criteria set by NZTA for crossings on state highways, but neither option got a clear green light from elected members.
Questions were asked around how many car parks would be lost, how close to the left-turning lane at the northern roundabout a potential crossing would be, and how far people would choose to walk out of their way in order to cross a road at an official crossing.
Councillor Annette Dudley said she was concerned by the potential loss of car parking directly in front of one of the town’s two pharmacies or the TSB bank.
“I appreciate the experts in all this know more than me, but to me, those are the busiest businesses in town and also have a lot of customers who may not be able to walk too far. Those car parks are really important.”
Councillor Jono Erwood said another concern was around younger pedestrians.
“We need to get our mokopuna safely to and from school.”
Despite the tight timeframe to have a plan finalised and work started on the new crossings, elected members agreed they needed community feedback on the options.
Stratford residents have until June 16 to give their feedback on the two options. Feedback can be given online via the Stratford District Council website or by email. Details of the plans are available online or in person at council facilities.
In a press release, Volzke said the crossings would help improve safety for pedestrians and motorists alike.
“The support from Waka Kotahi to make these improvements to pedestrian safety in Broadway is a welcomed relief. Difficulties with crossing SH3 in our central business district has been highlighted to us for many years, both from a pedestrian point of view as well as drivers.”
Disclaimer: Editor Ilona Hanne is married to the chief executive of Stratford District Council.
Ilona Hanne is a Taranaki-based journalist and news director who covers breaking and community news from across the lower North Island. She has worked for NZME since 2011.
