Geraldine traffic changes mooted
Long-standing proposals to shift Geraldine’s main traffic route and turn the Orari River bridge into a two-lane bridge will soon go out for public comment.
The draft Geraldine transport strategy, to be discussed at next week’s community board meeting, suggests a range of options to improve both the flow of traffic and the safety of the town’s roads.
Timaru District councillor Gavin Oliver, of Geraldine, said there had been a lot of discussion about these projects in the past, but now there was something tangible to put out to the community.
He said the proposals were ‘‘really exciting’’.
‘‘It’s great to finally have a strategy that we can put out to the community.
‘‘Some of these projects may be ready in a couple of years’ time, others might be longer, but this strategy gives us a good steer as to where we should go next.’’
The strategy proposes to make Talbot St the main vehicular route through Geraldine, with traffic linking to Cox St via Kennedy St. It also proposes twolaning the Upper Orari bridge.
The two-laning of the Upper Orari bridge became a political talking point after the Rangitata floods last December cut key accesses to State Highway 1, with both Timaru District mayor Nigel Bowen and Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon calling for NZ Transport Agency to push the project ahead.
‘‘The one-way Orari River Bridge on SH79 to the north of Geraldine has long been a point of contention with the local community,’’ consultant documents say.
‘‘The bridge is the first one-way bridge that international visitors will experience when flying into Christchurch and driving south to Queenstown, and can therefore cause some confusion for unfamiliar drivers.’’
In June 2018, Geraldine Community Board members received a report about the potential relocation of SH79 within Geraldine using Kennedy and Talbot streets, which said this project could cost more than $2m.
Talbot St has recently undergone a $600,000 upgrade after it temporarily becoming a SH1 bypass during the December floods.
According to consultant documents, making Talbot St the main vehicular route will bring all through traffic onto one route through town, and move the main traffic route away from sensitive areas such as the primary school, the domain and swimming pool where there is a lot of pedestrian activity and associated parking.
‘‘Talbot St has a place function as the main shopping street, but also a movement function as part of the state highway route through town,’’ the documents say.
‘‘These competing outcomes sometimes mean that it achieves neither of these functions well.’’
Moving the traffic priority route to Talbot St means Cox St can be prioritised as the cycling route, the strategy proposes.
However, making Talbot St the main vehicle route could be ‘‘several years away’’, according to Oliver.
‘‘It’s been discussed for several years among the community, but a project like that would require a lot of work to get it over the line.
‘‘But the point is we’ve now got this strategy, we can look 10, 20, 30 years out. That’s what makes this so exciting,’’ Oliver said.
The strategy also proposes that the town’s main walking route will link the primary school and the high school through the centre of town via the pedestrian bridge over the Waihi River.
‘‘This has been selected as the priority route as it takes school children away from the main traffic streets to improve safety,’’ consultants documents say.
Oliver said he was particularly pleased with the focus on activities such as cycling and walking, while both the community board and council will continue to campaign for the two-laning of the Upper Orari Bridge.
The Geraldine Community Board will put the draft transport strategy out for public comment following a meeting on May 27.