Speed up the bypass
The NZ Transport Agency and the Marlborough District Council need to get their heads together right now, and discuss the route of a bypass for Blenheim.
Last Tuesday at 11.50am, I was coming from Spring Creek into town and at the Spring Creek roundabout there was a huge line of traffic heading south, obviously having come off a ferry. I managed to get into the flow after waiting for about three minutes and proceeded into town.
Halfway over the new bridge, everything came to a halt and traffic was lined up from Nelson St to the bridge. It took 27 minutes for me to get to Nelson St and there was still a line of traffic behind me.
In all that traffic, there were about seven truck and trailer units. Now in the next few years there are going to be new ferries, much bigger than the present ones, and they will carry many more vehicles.
I can just picture the traffic blocked almost to Grovetown when trying to get through Blenheim. All these heavy vehicles, and private vehicles, will be unnecessarily held up while trying to head south. A bypass is going to be needed and there is no point in trying to pretend it isn’t.
Unless planning on a bypass is started now, there will be traffic holdups and it need not be so.
The new bridge was supposed to help speed up traffic. Well, I have news for the planners.
The local MP should be on to this and be pushing for an alternative route.
I can hear some people saying that it will take business away from the town. Those that want to stop will do so but those that want to bypass the town should be given the opportunity to do so.
Richard Howe Redwoodtown