Welcome Bay bus lane on hold

The 450m Welcome Bay bus lane is on hold. Photo: Google Maps.

The bus lane proposed for Welcome Bay is on hold until the effects of the underpass on traffic are known.

The suggestion is in line with a call from resident Alan Northcote who has been critical of the proposal for a 450m bus lane along a section of Welcome Bay road from near the Welcome Bay Foodmarket to Meadowviews Drive.

City council Transport committee chairman Rick Curach says the bus lane is on hold, as is a proposed roundabout at the James Cook Drive intersection with Welcome Bay Road.

The decision was made after a group of councillors heard a report from transport planning staff on the situation.

'The message is just to put it all on hold until the underpass is completed and fully operational,” says Rick. 'Leave it for about three months to fully settle in and then reconsider the merit of the bus lane proposal and the roundabout proposal at James Cook and Welcome Bay road.

'Both those projects are on hold subject to a review three months after the opening of the underpass. That could mean that they are both left off the table.

'We just need to establish the new traffic pattern and the new traffic flow, subsequent to that opening.”

Resident Alan Northcote was calling for eh project to be put on hold last week, saying the opening of the underpass will have a big effect on the tail-back into welcome Bay road during the morning peak.

When the underpass is open traffic will back up on both routes, reducing the tailback on Welcome Bay road, says Alan.

'The traffic's not going to go any faster over the bridge entering turret road,” says Alan. 'But the volume of traffic waiting closer to town will increase considerably. But when the new route fills up, they will use the old route as a rat run. That will happen, they can't stop that.

'Once they have got used to the slowness going under the underpass, when they arrive at the underpass and see it's full, they will carry on up the hill with the people going to Greerton. They will use the old route and merge with it along with the buses.

'Wait till you see how much traffic gets absorbed numerically in that area of both the new road and the existing road, and this will suck up the length of the queue going towards there.”

The underpass is expected to be completed in June, weather permitting.

You may also like....

6 comments

SURPRISE!

Posted on 10-04-2018 18:03 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Like all others in teh community spotted that answer in a split second... meanwhile the TCC officals ramble on regardless with wasting time and resources on a "DEAD" end


Council actually listened ??

Posted on 10-04-2018 18:36 | By Maryfaith

Well done Alan - how did you get them to listen ?? !


Bravo!

Posted on 10-04-2018 19:39 | By morepork

A good result for common sense.


About time...

Posted on 10-04-2018 21:41 | By maildrop

...Our representatives stopped being dictated to by Council servants and the dog started wagging the tail. Those two stupid roundabouts on Otumoetai Rd are a complete and utter waste of money. As are all bus lanes, but we already knew that.


mo roads

Posted on 11-04-2018 11:16 | By wazzock

So, in short, the new underpass is actually just a slow moving carpark, meaning people in welcome bay can sit, fuming, swearing, or numbly, in their cars slightly closer to fifteenth ave. This will then provide a few more slow moving parking spaces on welcome bay road. Classic. Problem sorted.Mo Roads! Mo Roads! Mo Roads! Keep it coming, I love paying for this kind of thing. We just need to keep building houses in the back end of nowhere, with 1 road in and out and this road building caper will go on forever.


Bus lane in WB

Posted on 11-04-2018 12:31 | By begesch

What about 'fast tracking' the bus only on the "rat trail" ? Only buses from Welcome Bay Road, or Ohauiti Road would be allowed to use the ramp down Hairini to Hairini Bridge. That would be much better than the 470m on WB Road.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.