Time for leadership

I read the front-page article in last week’s Taupo¯ & Tu¯rangi Weekender, about the Taupo¯ RSA and the Taupo¯ Bowling Club and their possible co-location. There are always two sides to a story and I thought the article and follow-up editorial were quite balanced. However, I have to ask why a non-charitable and privileged club / group of under 100 dwindling people can have the exclusive right to occupy Taupo¯’s recreational reserve land when a struggling charitable club that provides welfare support to Taupo¯ residents may have to close unless it can co-locate with another club. What would be great for Taupo¯ is a multi-club centre close to the centre of town; a centre all clubs that can’t survive on their own can utilise and gain some benefit. I agree with the Mayor, as far as the issue was between the two clubs, however, it’s gone past that. This ‘privileged’ club is showing no concerns for other residents of Taupo¯ and is now demanding that their current lease be extended by the Taupo¯ District Council. As I see it, the only way these clubs can be brought together is by the owner of the land, the ratepayers or their agent, the Taupo¯ District Council, exerting its leadership of our town. Come on Mr Mayor and your Councillors, we elect you all as our representatives and civic leaders, so, get out and earn the money we pay you. Sort this situation out.

JUDE MANSON politely twice was okay. To ask again with threats is bullying. The fact that the RSA has now decided to get Mother involved (the council) only reinforces their bullying attitude. Seems to me, reading the article, it is very much slanted towards the RSA needs and wants. The bowling club overwhelmingly voted no to the proposal. Can’t the RSA accept and respect that? As the article says, the RSA has been struggling for years to get its act together. What is going to change at the RSA to make it profitable and benefit the Bowling Club and the Taupo¯ community? There is an old saying: “Commercial suicide is doing the same thing this year was done in the past and expecting a different result”. ALEX BRODIE supported the campaign to get rid of plans for traffic lights around town. The Taupo¯ District Council has seen sense and canned immediate plans for lights at six CBD intersections. The council is however, contrary to overwhelming public opinion and common sense, pushing forward the idea of lights at Norman Smith and Wairakei Drive intersection. I have refuted various council comments as below: 1 The TDG report recommendations the council rely on is seriously flawed. See goo.gl/ n56J5k. 2 Gareth Green: “Lights are better because they allow for Waira¯kei Drive (WD) traffic to proceed when Norman Smith (NS) traffic otherwise has right of way”. There is traffic going north which interrupts NS traffic and allows WD traffic to proceed. The TDG simulations he relies on are inaccurate — they miss 415

movements in 30 minutes going down WD. A huge difference to his poor argument. 3 Rosie Harvey and David Trewavas both suggest lights “as a trial” and if they don’t work “we’ll just pull them out”. Spend $560,000 and hope it works? Not sensible. Better to spend $50,000 on an internationally accepted better solution — a roundabout — than make an expensive and rushed bad decision. 4 Another myth is that lights are cheaper. No, an urban (NS) roundabout can cost $4000. 5 Gareth Green again: “there is no room at the intersection for a roundabout”. A 26m roundabout can fit in existing curbing boundaries. Council own 30 metres to the west, if needed, which he hasn’t allowed for. 6 TDG: ‘an arterial-sized roundabout is needed’ — no, speed limits are 50km/h which means urban-sized. 7 Gareth Green again: “Lights are sensor controlled”. For 23 hours

Taupo¯ district mayor David Trewavas responds:

Traffic Design Group was contracted by the council to deliver a report on the options to improve traffic flow through the central business district following a robust procurement process and they have been analysing transport systems and designing traffic control solutions for over 40 years. They spent six months analysing the traffic flow in the affected areas and their simulations were based on actual data, not just assumptions. The decision to install traffic lights at the Norman Smith/Wairakei Drive intersection, and to place the rest of the proposals on hold while we do an overarching transport strategy, was a full council decision and it was unanimous. We will be inviting people to have their say during the development of the strategy. We do not see the need for the report to be peer reviewed but we may consider it prudent to peer review the strategy once it is completed.