Fed-up drivers want their roads back
Drivers in northeast Hamilton fed up with their commute time say the congestion is getting worse, and roadworks are taking some of the blame.
Rototuna resident Stephen Packer has seen traffic slowing in the area over the past three years. That’s partly because of population growth, but he is also critical of what he sees as poorly coordinated roadworks, citing multiple changes to Borman Rd and Gordonton Rd.
“A lot of it seems to be one thing after another thing after another thing that's causing a lot of congestion,” he says.
“It's not that they shouldn't happen. It's just the fact that the same stretch of road has several things done on it in piecemeal projects over time.”
Pressure from redirected traffic then goes on other already busy streets.
The changes often seem overly focused on pedestrians or cyclists, he said. Raised crossings at roundabouts delayed traffic and things could be done to improve both traffic flow and visibility.
Rototuna and Flagstaff residents are feeling the pain as a booming city grapples with how to keep traffic moving, and peak travel times generally are set to get longer.
Hamilton was New Zealand’s fastest-growing city last year, and has grown by 45.8% in the past 20 years according to Infometrics data.
Traffic volumes have been growing as the population surges, with a steady increase over the past 10 years.
Packer acknowledged the impact of population growth, but says the biggest thing for him was not seeing traffic flow improvement in any of the roading planning.
“It's a growing area, roads are getting narrower, there's more stops or slowdowns to support other initiatives, and there's very little I see being done to increase the traffic volumes that can be handled in those areas.”
Commuters in the suburb echo his views. Posting on a Rototuna residents Facebook page in response to a Waikato
Times query about driver frustration, one said it had taken them 20 minutes that morning to get from the Gordonton lights to Rototuna primary and that it had never been that bad.
“There now seems to be no road or different way you can take towards town that isn’t backed up to the hilt!” wrote another. “Is it my imagination or has it gotten way worse than even just last year?”
“Gordonton road is bumper to bumper from Thomas road to Wairere Drive … just soul destroyingly slow to get anywhere !!!! ” wrote one.
Another said getting out of Flagstaff in the mornings onto the bridge is chaotic. “Right hand turn onto the bridge allows around 5 cars at a time, so many cars jump the red light out of frustration, bloody ridiculous set up with the lanes.”
Not all agreed. “Get some balance,” wrote one who said he had lived there for six-plus years and he, his wife and their children commuted through the area. The traffic increase had been from a multitude of road closures and upgrades, most of which would be temporary.
“The delays that others are having we do not experience,” he wrote. “If there is a delay it’s very minor and we feel it is a reality of an ever-growing city and suburb.”
Hamilton City Council network and systems operations manager Robyn Denton said as the city’s population grew, it could not build its way out of congestion.
That means commute times may get longer, and sees the council focusing on consistency of travel time.
In Rototuna, the opening of Borman Rd through to Flagstaff, due next year, is being held out as a potential boon.
Drivers currently using Horsham Downs Rd and then Thomas Rd to travel west would have a more direct route, Denton said, and the new route would be safer for children to walk or cycle to school.
She also said raised roundabout crossings are set to reduce injury, with cars travelling at slower speeds.
“We had parents who wanted their kids to be able to walk and cycle to school safely so they didn't have to drive them,” Denton said.
“Those improvements were done for that. It does actually make the intersection safer for car users as well.”