Cold comfort over traffic concerns
Manawatu¯ riverside residents worried about parking hassles around Palmerston North’s new He Ara Kotahi bridge have been offered little respite by the city council.
Chief council infrastructure officer Tom Williams said yellow lines would be painted around the intersection of Park Rd and Ruha St, the most popular access point to the bridge and surrounding streets.
Williams said the markings were intended to make it safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians by ensuring turning traffic had clear sight lines at the intersection. And the council would continue to monitor the traffic and parking for at least a year.
Monitoring was a requirement of the resource consent for the bridge.
‘‘If we have a concern for safety at any time we’d seek to address it as soon as possible,’’ he said.
Katene St resident Lesley Burton-cranfield said she could not see how the yellow lines would help, when it was the Ruha St and Dittmer Drive intersection that was the main problem.
‘‘Surely it doesn’t take a year of monitoring to see what is very obvious to everyone. The issue needs addressing now, not in 12 months’ time.’’
Dittmer Drive resident Liz Webster said the council’s response had completely missed the point about parking close to the bridge.
She said she was concerned someone was going to get hurt as vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists jostled for position.
Meanwhile, Williams said the council would love to see more people approaching the bridge from other parts of the riverside shared pathway. There was often parking available at Ahimate Reserve or at the Centennial Drive car park upstream of the Fitzherbert Bridge, ‘‘just a few hundred metres away’’.
‘‘We’ve loved seeing how popular He Ara Kotahi is, but are very conscious of the impact on residents nearby,’’ he said.
Upgrading the pathway between the Esplanade railway car park and the river pathway was scheduled for 2020-21, which would provide a more attractive access point to the river.
A design for the Park Rd and Cook St intersection would be completed this financial year, and construction would happen in 2020-21.
‘‘The issue needs addressing now, not in 12 months’ time.’’
Lesley Burton-cranfield, Katene St resident