Transport event cut short as comms woes over Waipā proposals continue
The communications chaos over Waipā’s proposals for a new bridge between Cambridge and Leamington - and other transport tweaks - continued on Thursday night, with a district council drop-in session shut down 50 minutes early as things turned gnarly.
About 150 people turned up for the Cambridge event, which involved displays and residents asking council staff about the proposals. T
hat included an “emerging preferred option” involving a new bridge between the town and Leamington.
But a Q&A session fronted by transportation manager Bryan Hudson became heated and there were a number of testy exchanges.
At one point, mayor Susan O’regan called for staff to be respected.
Eventually, community services manager Brad Ward stepped in and announced the event was being shut down, to the clear annoyance of some residents.
Ward explained to the Waikato Times that the call to end things early was made for a combination of factors.
More people had come than anticipated and an unexpected situation had developed.
The plan would be to “re-group” and look at another event where questions could be heard and the council could engage with residents.
O’regan said yesterday that she made the call to end the session due to the tension that developed and a threatening comment from a woman to her which she found “terribly unsettling”.
The situation is likely to have added to residents’ frustration about the way the council has communicated over its preferred option. Other options are also mooted. But news on the council’s thoughts broke through public notices.
The council’s communications manager Lisa Nairne acknowledged to the Waikato Times that Waipā had got it wrong over not telling residents about the ideas before public notices appeared.
She said the plan had been to send the residents letters first but an oversight meant this didn’t happen. The council had admitted it got things wrong and apologised.
“Nobody comes to work each day to make people unhappy,” Nairne said.
O’regan told the Waikato Times that she promised the people’s voice would be heard before a decision was made on which option to go with.
“This is the beginning of a very long process.”
She said people had been frustrated about the lack of involvement in that process so far. A community board meeting this week heard “concern around the surprise”. There were also fears about property values being hit, compulsory purchase of homes and a lot of uncertainty.
But she stressed the district may not be able to afford its plans and people like mana whenua could raise issues. “There are a lot of boxes to tick.”
In an earlier statement, she said the council now understood residents had been concerned about limiting public feedback to the preferred option.
Feedback .would now be sought on all options until April 26. The statement noted a third bridge was likely to be 20 years or more in the making.
Cambridge resident Kellie West was angry at Waipā saying before she bought her new home in Alpha St last year that it wasn’t due to be affected by any big changes. But the council’s preferred option would see it impacted, she said. “I don’t think it’s a good option.
“I just bought my house in November and I couldn’t sell it for what I paid now.”
She had a range of other concerns, including the local marae maintaining waka access to the river, and she felt “sideswiped” by not having been told about plans earlier.
Cambridge residents Chaanah and Stuart Oliver also felt the proposed preferred bridge, and associated transport options, weren’t right.
“Too many traffic lights and I don’t agree with the bridge location,” Stuart Oliver said. Channah Oliver was concerned the suggested bridge could create more congestion, on the likes of Pope Tce and Hall St, adding “I am also concerned the bridge would cut through the town green belt”.
Cambridge’s Janice Williams, meanwhile, wanted any bridge to be away to the west of the town towards Hamilton and Mystery Creek.
“Because we don’t want any more traffic lights in the town. It’s congested now.”
Resident Murray Reid agreed it could be better to have an out of town bridge to the west of the preferred option.
But Barry Lee, who’s lived in the town for 56 years, said any new bridge needed to be in the town as it would be the main bridge connecting Cambridge and Leamington once the Victoria St bridge was closed to traffic.
Before the event was shut down, Waipā’s Hudson said the need for a third bridge was common sense and that even another may be needed after that.