Rocks Rd out of council’s hands
ASK THE MAYOR
It’s raining – again. You’ve got parts of Rocks Rd closed off for cliff repairs – again! So why is council bothering to consult on developing Rocks Rd? We need a state highway that is open and works.
times unrecoverable.
So Rocks Rd has got its orange cones out again but that work isn’t undertaken by council. It’s not our road.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), based in Wellington, is responsible for our state highway network – including Rocks Rd. NZTA have a tidy up job underway to remove debris.
Ongoing weathering from storms will continue to loosen rocks on the cliff with the potential for rock falls.
Separate to the problem of rock falls, since the 2011 rainfall event, significant stabilisation work has been carried out to parts of the cliff.
Council has completed the work needed on the World War II Gun Battery site. It’s work in progress for NZTA in other locations.
Are the Rocks Rd orange cones going to disappear for good? That’s unlikely.
Does this mean it’s a suitable route for a walking/cycling link and should we look at options to develop this area? Yes.
This is a beautiful stretch of coastline that connects Tahunanui Beach to the City. We need good walking and cycling links to help realise the recreation and tourism potential of the area; just not located under the cliff.
But there are limitations because Rocks Rd is a constrained corridor. Trade offs and compromises have to be made.
In making improvements for walkers and cyclists other users are affected. Parking is reduced for instance. Commuter cyclists don’t get the space they were hoping for. The traffic lanes come closer to houses.
Several crossing points are created – great for walkers, but not so great for freight trucks.
So that raises the next question, is Rocks Rd a suitable route for both a State Highway and a recreational and tourism area? No it isn’t in my opinion and the ongoing issues with the cliff add a complication to a situation that is already heavily constrained.
We need a secure arterial network for freight, emergency services and for moving people to the city. Compromising that network further is a high risk activity.
I have been raising this concern for a number of years now, and prior to the 2011 rainfall event. Sometimes the blindingly obvious is blindingly obvious.
I’m also in the camp of ‘‘sort the problem out properly’’.
Like a healthy body, a healthy city needs good clean arterials for all, whether on foot, bike, bus, car or truck.
Strangling a city with lack of infrastructure will stop it short. Our region and New Zealand can’t afford that outcome. As the 12th most populous urban centre, or 9th largest if you add in Richmond, we’re operating without the basics.
We need to think and plan like a city if we want to build a positive future.
We need that secure arterial network sooner rather than later and we should be planning it as part of the Rocks Rd development. There’s a chance to get a great outcome for our city.
But my problem with the State Highway is, just like I don’t control the road cones, I don’t hold the purse strings or the decisionmaking power that can create a secure arterial network that gets the life blood of our city flowing.