Council rethink on Welly’s most puzzling intersection
A controversial plan to install traffic lights at the troublesome intersection outside Wellington’s Southern Cross pub is off the table, for now.
Wellington City Council announced in August that it planned to install traffic lights at the intersection of Cuba and Abel Smith streets, following safety concerns raised by an intellectually disabled youth group.
However, after listening to public feedback, the council has decided to reassess its plans, while looking at transport solutions for the central city area as a whole.
The four-way stop arrangement is the only one of its kind in the central city, and for decades has puzzled drivers and created headaches for pedestrians.
After a petition by IDEA Services youth group Active, whose members regularly cross the intersection, it was agreed a $200,000 set of traffic lights would be installed in November next year.
But Andy Foster, former chairman of the transport and urban development committee, said the council had decided to take a ‘‘step back’’ and consider a more comprehensive approach to the area.
‘‘We listened to what people had to say, and the feedback we were getting is that people want a pedestrian-friendly central city,’’ Foster said.
‘‘There are an increasing number of people living in the central city, and that number is only going to increase.’’
A plan for the area would be considered by the council’s new strategy and policy committee later this year, Foster said.
It remained to be seen whether traffic lights would be part of that proposal, but it was unlikely, given the holistic approach council wanted to take to the area.
‘‘If the intersection was dealt with in isolation, then lights may have been a good solution,’’ Foster said. ‘‘But we’d like to have a look at intersections right around that area.’’
Consultation on central city speed limits was also expected to take place soon, and the council wanted to jointly consider speed and infrastructure when making future plans.
It did not receive a lot of feedback on the decision to install lights, but enough to make it reconsider the move, Foster said.
The youth group was open to other suggestions when it petitioned the council last year about safety issues at the intersection, so its needs would still be met.