Lizard News JUNE 2023
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Traffic jam; peak breakfast spread
By Matthew Farrell estern Bay motorists on the State Highway 2 northern corridor have endured a month of lost time and money between Ōmokoroa and the Wairoa River at Bethlehem. Off-peak trips to Tauranga typically take about 25 minutes, but unproductive journeys of 90 to 120 minutes have been common for peak-time commuters during May. Many drivers have taken to social media to berate local and national politicians, urban and transport planners. Others have looked to arrange carpooling or have considered the merits of cycling, electric scooters, motorcycles, ferries or jetskis. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency says this stretch of the highway network is incredibly sensitive to any changes in traffic flow. Regional manager Rob Campbell says network pressure has been felt for some time. “From what was once a rural road, it has developed into a busy commuter and freight route, and the kiwifruit season is underway. The main cause of the current congestion appears to be the sheer volume of traffic. There has been an increase of 6,000 vehicles per day in the past ten years. The commuter peak is now 6am to 10.30am,” Rob says. On Thursday 25th May, an asphalt paver suffered a
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mechanical failure at the worksite, delaying the road reopening by almost an hour. Delays were initially caused when Tauranga City Council was installing a new kerb and channel at Taniwha Place, where the left-hand slip lane is becoming part of the Wairoa cycleway project. The rest of the cycleway work is to be completed at night and was not expected to cause significant impacts. An underpass from the Wairoa River clip-on bridge will lead to an on-road, two-way cycleway. Cyclists will give way to turning traffic before continuing up the Taniwha Place side of the hill along SH2 to a signalised crossing connecting to Carmichael Road. This will complete the 19km Ōmokoroa to Tauranga cycleway, which was originally expected to attract 130 to 200 commuter cyclists per day, plus recreational users. NZTA’s June 2015 factsheet said cycleway construction was expected to be completed by mid-2018. Waka Kotahi’s annual maintenance programme has included major rehabilitation of State Highway 2, with several overnight closures to allow for complete rebuilding and asphalting of the road surface between the Wairoa Bridge and the Bethlehem roundabout. During the closures, light vehicles have been diverted via Poripori Road to State Highway 29. When the work is completed, Bethlehem’s 50km speed limit will begin at the bridge. The speed limit will
become 80km from the bridge towards Te Puna. Tauranga City Council’s website says the more people who cycle, the fewer cars need to be on the road. The Transport Agency expected the resurfacing to be completed by the morning of Friday 2nd June. The cycleway works were expected to take around three months.