Petition argues for SH26 roundabout
Morrinsville Chamber of Commerce chairman Nigel McWilliam has vowed to keep petitioning until a roundabout is installed at what he believes is one of the town’s most dangerous and busiest intersections.
Waikato Regional Council declined a request to have a permanent roundabout installed at the intersection of Avenue Road and State Highway 26, near Morrinsville’s western entranceway.
The submission was made under the topic of new and improved infrastructure for state highways, to the regional council’s draft 10-year-plan, on behalf of the Morrinsville Chamber of Commerce and Matamata-Piako District Council.
A petition initiated by the chamber for a roundabout gathered over 630 signatures and was presented to the regional council by McWilliam in person.
‘‘This needs attention and we are very disappointed with this initial decision,’’ McWilliam said.
Regional Transport Committee chairman Hugh Vercoe said the application was declined only in relation to installing a permanent roundabout and not a temporary one, like those in Paeroa and Kopu by the NZ Transport Agency.
‘‘With installation of a permanent roundabout we’re talking about some serious money,’’ he said.
‘‘Is this roundabout the number one priority in terms of regional road safety and funding, the short answer is no it isn’t.’’
Vercoe said the recommendation had been passed onto the NZ Transport Agency under the draft Transport Agency Investment Proposal (TAIP) and NZTA had agreed to look at a tempor- ary roundabout to change driver behaviour.
That would not happen however, until some solid statistics were gathered about the safety concerns of the intersection.
NZTA prepared the draft TAIP for consideration by regional transport committees as part of their integrated Regional Land Transport Plans (RLTPs) to meet national and regional objectives.
The intersection had been the topic of conversation for a number of years Vercoe said, and further development in the industrial area of Avenue Road had a part to play in the increased traffic volumes.
If the road was councilowned, the council could seek a development contribution for infrastructure including the road, but NZTA had no legal authority to be able to do the same, Vercoe said.
McWilliam said he understands some road monitoring work is being done as part of a safety review of State Highway 26 with funding allocated.
But he was hoping for more details on the decision and the reasoning behind it.
‘‘We will press on with a further petition.’’