Trial adds to delays
Traffic trials introduced on State Highway 2— one of theWestern Bay of Plenty’s busiest stretches of highway, have gone down like a lead balloon with some motorists.
The NZ Transport Agency and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council began a two-week trial on Monday, May 14. The agency wants to find out if it could reduce traffic delays on StateHighway 2 through changes to some intersections.
Andrew Hollis, who heads the Fix the Bloody Road action group, said he had received a lot of feedback from disgruntled motorists.
“It seems more than 90 per cent of comment is negative,” he said.
“Some people are having delays of up to 45 minutes extra— that’s extra on top of the existing delays.
“I’m lucky enough not to have experienced it myself, but it seems an hour and a half of time on the road is something I want to avoid.”
Mr Hollis said, in his view, the only solution to SH2’s traffic issues was to reinstate the proposed Tauranga Northern Link. He said the primary concern for the group was not necessarily the congestion, but the safety of the road— and not just at peak times. AWestern Bay of Plenty District Council spokesman said the council had forwarded about 15 complaints and feedback to the agency.
In awritten statement, NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty journeymanager Nigel D’Ath said feedback, and people’s patience, was appreciated.
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Some people are having delays of up to 45 minutes extra— that’s extra on top of the delays.’ existing
ANDREW HOLLIS
“We are trialling different approaches on different days to find the best way to improve people’s journeys.
“Traffic volumes vary from day to day, and that can have an impact on delays.’
Information collected would determine what short-term improvements the agency could make.