Residents fuming at roundabout proposal
‘‘The 10,000 cars that go down Brooklyn [Road],’’ called a voice from the crowd, ‘‘where are you going to send them?’’
The voice belonged to one of dozens of residents fuming about the possibility of Hamilton’s Five Cross Roads roundabout losing a leg in a bid to boost cycling and bus usage.
They packed The Grandstand in Claudelands on Monday night to air complaints, many of them about Brooklyn Road potentially being blocked off at the roundabout end.
Hamilton City Council has suggested the option as part of the creation of an approximately 6.2km school link project in the east, under the Eastern Pathways, Te Ara o te Rawhiti project.
The idea is to encourage biking, scooting and the like, and bus travel, by making it easier and safer – especially along a route connecting about 20 schools.
The roundabout at Five Cross Roads is in the middle and could scuttle the plan if it’s not easy to navigate, council representatives said.
Council says the roundabout is a high-crash area on an important route, and the need to navigate it puts people off walking and cycling.
But fuming residents heard 10,000 vehicles use Brooklyn Road each day, and say closing one end will push cars down their residential roads.
‘‘We didn’t hear about this from council,’’ a man called out from the crowd. ‘‘We heard about this from local residents.’’
‘‘This meeting has only taken place tonight because a small group of residents read the small print,’’ a woman later said.
No decisions have yet been made about what’s going to happen with Five Cross Roads, said Aecom consultant James Bevan.
Aecom has led the business case on city council’s behalf.
It’s very early days for the proposal and ‘‘this scale of change needs the community behind it’’, he said.
Changes under the top-ranked option would include traffic lights, shutting off Brooklyn Road to take the roundabout down to four legs, and off-road cycle paths separate from footpaths.
Residents didn’t support the idea on Monday night, but they were demanding answers.
There was an uproar when Hamilton City Council’s project spokesman Martin Parkes said detailed modelling was to come in the next stage.
‘‘’We haven’t got to that detail yet’. What a joke,’’ said someone in the crowd.
Many were sceptical of how much attention council would pay to their concerns, given closure is the preferred option in a business case due going to council next week.
The business case is about unlocking funding from Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency so more work can be done, Parkes said.
Council has set out in its business case that Waka Kotahi’s approval ‘‘does not predetermine any particular option or treatment for Five Cross Roads’’.
‘‘Further investigation (including modelling and treatment trials to understand network effects), urban design work and consultation/ engagement needs to be undertaken prior to confirming a preferred option for the Five Cross Roads site,’’ it says.
But a local businesswoman warned of creating new problems with solutions which could have unintended consequences.