By Andrew Bydder, Hamilton City Councillor
Half of Hamiltonians use Wairere Drive regularly. For Flagstaff and Rototuna residents who work in Te Rapa or central Hamilton, it is a twice-daily route. The road was designed by engineers as a commuter ring-road to ease congestion and allow traffic to travel safely at 80 km/h without having to slow down for as many intersections. To aid this, cycleways are kept separate from the road, and pedestrians can use a variety of underpasses and overbridges.
This month, Hamilton City Council gave approval for a raised intersection, essentially a large speed bump, to be built at the junction of Karewa Place and Wairere Drive. Don’t be surprised if you can’t picture Karewa Place – it is a low-traffic, left-turn only road between Te Rapa and Pukete Roads. The Quantum Lodge Motor Inn is on one side, and the big white APL building is on the other.
The ‘dangerous’ intersection with Karewa Place
With traffic lights around 100m in either direction, regular gaps are created even at peak times on Wairere Drive, allowing for easy flow into and out of Karewa Place. There is no history of injuries or problems.
So why on earth would the council want to hinder every one of the 20,000-30,000 drivers who use this section of the ring-road each day?
Believe it or not, a new supermarket to be built about 1 km away is the excuse. PAK’nSAVE has got resource consent to build opposite The Base. Don’t blame PAK’nSAVE, they are the victims, alongside commuters, in this story. The resource consent has taken 6 years. It is hardly a contentious consent because it is right beside Countdown Te Rapa. There are no new negative impacts on anyone. The consent application has been treated as an opportunity by council planners to justify the raised intersection and force PAK’nSAVE to pay for it. After 6 years of fighting, PAK’nSAVE probably would rather pay the millions of dollars for the roadworks than have any more delays.
The public backlash against other speed bumps and in-lane bus stops has been successful, leading to the cancellation of 15 proposed roadworks and a moratorium on new projects. If people protest this one, I think it can be stopped. Councillors felt blindsided when voting for it because it was imposed by staff as a consent condition. This meant voting against the speedbump would have cancelled PAK’nSAVE’s consent for their building, which councillors did not want to do. The Resource Management Act allows for consent conditions to be amended, and I strongly encourage PAK’nSAVE to apply for an amendment.
We have data from Fire and Emergency services about damage and delays to firetrucks and ambulances caused by raised intersections. This includes an 11% increase in average response time. To put one on the main route linking the hospital to the northern suburbs will endanger many residents when every second counts. This negates the questionable safety claims bandied around in consultant reports to frustrate drivers out of cars. Combined with strong support from you, the public, we have an opportunity to save Wairere Drive.
[The content of any Opinion pieces represents the views of the author and the accuracy of any content in a post labelled Opinion is the responsibility of the author. Posting of this Opinion content on the CityWatch NZ website does not necessarily constitute endorsement of those views by CityWatch NZ or its editors. CityWatch NZ functions to provide information and a range of different perspectives on New Zealand’s cities and local councils. If you disagree with or dispute the content, CityWatch NZ can pass that feedback on to the author. Send an email to feedback@citywatchnz.org and clearly identify the content and the issue.]
Other content on this issue
Opposing the planned raised platform on Wairere Drive at the Karewa Place turnoff
