Congestion forces road user rethink
Traffic jams have become a familiar part of Nelson life in the wake of damaging floods and slips.
Although the main waterfront route along Rocks Rd partially reopened on Wednesday morning, and the Nelson City Council made some bus routes free, downtown streets were still congested in and out of the city.
Debra Wilde, who lives in Toi Toi and was in Nelson city for an appointment, said she had been largely staying out of town since last week’s deluge. She had been going to the local store for milk and staying away from the big shops, though she did go to a birthday lunch on Wednesday.
‘‘I know traffic is really bad, so I have kept away and let people who really need to get to their jobs get to their jobs.’’
Jared Haruru said the traffic had been ‘‘pretty shocking’’.
‘‘I live up Bishopdale, and it’s pretty hard to get out of there. I took my sister to the airport – it took an hour and a half to get out there, and then another hour and a half to get home. It’s been pretty full on.’’
Haruru is the head kōhanga reo teacher at Victory Primary School, which is closed this week because of the state of emergency.
‘‘I’ve had to cancel work trips, I’ve had to cancel all the trips that we do to pick up kids,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve got one appointment today, but otherwise we have cancelled the whole week.’’
When the schools reopen, ‘‘it will be crazy’’, he said.
Haruru’s wife is a truck driver, and a trip to Blenheim that would normally take two hours took about nine hours because of the closure of the two state highways, he said.
His children go to the kura kaupapa in Richmond, but their bus has been cancelled because of the congestion.
‘‘We’re definitely feeling it, even though they are doing online learning. They’re kind of getting cabin fever at home. Normally, we are always out and about.
‘‘To me, it kind of feels like lockdown all over again.’’
Electrician Taylor Heath said it had been ‘‘pretty terrible’’ getting to and from work.
Heath sometimes goes to three or four jobs a day. ‘‘It’s not so bad now Rocks Rd is open again, but definitely the first day back it was a bit chaotic,’’ he said.
‘‘People were late to work, they were trying to organise everyone to go to different places
so you’re not coming into town unnecessarily.’’
For new Nelsonians Mubeen Ahmad, 10, and Muneef Ahmad, 9, the increase in traffic has made it was difficult to cross the road
on their bikes on their way to school.
Mubeen said cycling to school took ‘‘at least five minutes’’, though the trip back up Abraham Heights took a little longer.