Detailed design plans for the upgrade of Cameron Road in Tauranga are now complete following feedback from the community.
While existing traffic lanes will be retained, the Futureproofing Cameron Road project aims to make Cameron Road safer, more attractive, and provide more ways for people to travel regardless of their age or physical ability.
"The upgrade will give people greater choice about whether to walk, cycle, scooter, catch a bus or drive," says a statement from Tauranga City Council.
Changes include new part-time bus lanes, a new two-way cycleway, and improvements to make the area more walkable, attractive and community friendly.
Stormwater treatment along the road will also be improved.
Tauranga City Council commission Chair Anne Tolley says developing effective infrastructure for the future is a mindset shift for Tauranga and the changes will allow housing intensification throughout Te Papa to be supported by attractive transport options.
Currently around 14 per cent of Tauranga's population reside in the Te Papa peninsula, with this forecast to lift to more than 17 per cent by 2050.
'It's projected around 15,000 more people will move to the Te Papa peninsula in the next 30 years. That's around two new families a week joining this growing community, which is already home to 20,000 residents enjoying the close-by work, learn and play opportunities that living there already has to offer.
Commission chair Anne Tolley. Photo: John Borren/SunLive.
'Our community believes future possibilities for the area include better transport infrastructure and housing, along with less traffic congestion and safer open spaces. Futureproofing Cameron Road is one of the first steps to bring this to life.”
Tolley says Tauranga has been lagging behind.
'This is an opportunity to get ahead of our rapidly growing population and incorporate better transport options now, before congestion along Cameron Road reaches a point where it impacts liveability and our economy.”
The project was led by community feedback and growth plans for the Te Papa peninsula, along with support from central government through a $45 million grant.
'The grant we received supports local economic recovery from Covid-19. The funding was specifically given for this project, so it is a great opportunity for council to improve the key southern corridor, to and from the CBD, at minimal cost to ratepayers,” says Tolley.
Tauranga City Council Director of Transport, Brendan Bisley, says the way we use Cameron Road today, won't be the same as how we use it in future.
'We are already seeing more residential and mixed-use apartment buildings being developed on Cameron Road and the nature of the street is changing.
'Cameron Road is set to become a destination, not just a commuting corridor. Ultimately, we hope this will benefit the business community too.”
'Creating safer, more reliable and attractive infrastructure is vital to removing barriers to bus and bike use and offering a real alternative to using a car. It's very much a case of build it and the people will come. The changes along Cameron Road will support other cycleway and bus network improvements planned for the future.”
Work to upgrade sewer pipes underneath Cameron Road are currently underway ahead of the main streetscape works starting in September this year.
To view the detailed design concepts and for more information about Futureproofing Cameron Road please visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/cameronroad
34 comments
No faith
Posted on 11-08-2021 07:28 | By Kancho
GREERTON. ! This was the same spin we had for Greerton and yet subsequently widely panned as a failure. Traffic flow has been severely affected and the time needed increased substantially. Village life took a shock and although recovered to a degree certainly no improvement in fact I generally avoid going there as I once did. So guess we have no option but to wait and see but I don't expect improvements but I suspect travel it will be worse. Feel sorry for businesses along the route and the crippling disruption
Future proof
Posted on 11-08-2021 08:00 | By Blindspot
What about the light rail line up the middle that does a loop from the strand through Greeton, Welcome Bay, Papamoa, Mt Maunganui, passing by schools, hospitals and supermarkets along the route? No no, thats a silly idea
@ Kancho
Posted on 11-08-2021 08:45 | By The Professor
Completely agree with Kancho. The plans and artist impression sound and look great but only time will tell as to whether TCC will deliver a good product. Just don't take from the car/vehicle user for the good of cyclists and under utilised buses - including operating temporary bus lanes during the rush hour. We need more road during rush hours, not less!!
Cameron Road,
Posted on 11-08-2021 09:07 | By R. Bell
and its traffic flow problems are a legacy of rapid growth. Greerton is no better or worse than it has been for almost 60 yrs. The recent upgrade was done in part to make safe the pedestrians crossing from one shopping area to the other. Those selfish car owners who object should consider all factors before spouting off. Cameron road from the City to Pyes Pa will always be widely panned by the car obsessed until a major flyover is constructed at enormous cost, listen to the whinging when and if that occurs.
Confused.
Posted on 11-08-2021 09:25 | By First Responder
Is that a bus lane upper left side? What are all the cars in it for? Maybe you should future proof the Greerton roundabout first, and fix 15th Ave. The surface is equivalent to a back street of a cartel ridden Mexican suburb plus there's stupid bus stops in the middle of the lanes. You could actually 3 lane it, including Turret road bridge, and signalize, so it's 2 lanes into town in the AM, and 2 lanes out in the PM. Im sure Tauranga traffic engineers should be blindfolded, and confined to a sandpit full of Tonka toys with their hands tied behind their backs.
@First Responder
Posted on 11-08-2021 11:29 | By nerak
I like it - "Tauranga traffic engineers should be blindfolded, and confined to a sandpit full of Tonka toys with their hands tied behind their backs."
Aww, it's so pretty but!
Posted on 11-08-2021 11:39 | By nerak
The picture, that is. Gee, I wish I could get paid for scheming n dreaming, I would add more pretty, with flower beds, but would not take away parking outside viable businesses, as elsewhere further downtown, and apparently in the picture upper right. Only time will tell if we will comfortably live in la la land, or avoid Cameron Road completely. Mount, Bayfair, Tauriko all come to mind. And even Whakatane for a day out, may take the same amount of time to do the length of Cameron Rd one day...
Un Future Proof
Posted on 11-08-2021 11:46 | By Avman
This "detailed design" is actually a preliminary design, which shows the lack of ability of those doing the work, who don't even seem to know the difference. In terms of being "future proof", it actually decreases the capacity of the current system, so it is taking us backwards not forwards. And in regard to providing "more options for travel", it certainly does not, all of the mode choices are exactly the same as they are now. What new mode-choice is being added?
Better stop it now!
Posted on 11-08-2021 12:08 | By uli
In the 15 years I am living in Tauranga we had the same problem with the street improvements. Whatever the council has done made the traffic problems worse. Further the costs involved have been the reason for all the rates increasing. It seems the council never learns, the traffic flow will get worse and the rates will continue to increase.
And no parking
Posted on 11-08-2021 12:08 | By TheCameltoeKid
I feel for the businesses. With their parking taken away it won't be viable for them to stay. This obesession with trying to force people onto busses and pushbikes just isn't feasible in a city with a geographical layout like Tauranga. Just take a good look at every bus with only 1 or 2 passengers on it. !5th ave and Turret road need to be sorted before this abomination. Tolley take a hike and p[ease don't come back!
Dreamland
Posted on 11-08-2021 12:19 | By Fernhill22
This picture reminds me of an old saying "Mutton dressed as lamb" it looks good but is the reality going to be completely different. The picture TCC provided for the revamp of Phoenix car park of a nice green space to be used by everyone is very different from the Skate Park that was delivered. I'm not sure what community feedback TCC are listening to but it's very different story if you ask real people what their thoughts are on this project. If there are going to be a further 15,000 people moving into the Te Papa peninsula i can't see all these people hopping onto their bikes or on a bus to go to work it's just not going to happen. What we will end up with will be, more congestion, under utilised cycle ways, and buses & a CBD no one wants to go to.
@nerak & First Responder
Posted on 11-08-2021 12:24 | By Avman
Except that Tauranga does not have any traffic engineers, nobody in their transport dept. has any relevant qualifications. It explains a lot.
A rare occasion
Posted on 11-08-2021 14:24 | By Let's get real
When someone in peak traffic will stop or slow to allow heavy vehicles into the flow of traffic. What do you see happening when someone parks in the part-time bus lanes to "just pop into the shops for a moment"...? Will the elite amongst us who are saving the planet really use an alternative to riding on the roads...? My major concern though is the fact that it's identified as the "final design" which would indicate that any and all dissenting comments WILL be ignored.... It's my ball and I make the rules, hasn't left the schoolyard.
Fraser Street
Posted on 11-08-2021 14:53 | By jeancraven@kinect.co.nz
What about all the pot holes and ruts that have needed repairing for months - no money?
The real problem
Posted on 11-08-2021 17:17 | By R. Bell
is not the council and staff. The real problem is the outrageous opposition by people who have helped create the problems by selling up elsewhere and immigrating to fools paradise. Tauranga City is built on a peninsular, no matter what, it will always be impossible to have free flowing traffic. Instead of constantly whinging get out and support the buses maybe then light rail will become economically possible. Can't do that, it may be seen as support for the local government you all obviously despise. Non of the commenters here have the absolute right to claim our road system for their undermanned cars and personal convenience. Grow up it's never too late.
@Kancho
Posted on 11-08-2021 17:29 | By morepork
I agree 100% and the Greerton fiasco has curtailed my visits to the Village as well. Never mind, when this is completed we won't be able to go downtown either. In fact, give them a few years and they will render what was once a beautiful and vibrant City into an uninhabitable wasteland with no commerce or heart. Why are we even doing Cameron Road when there were so many other higher priorities? Because the money suddenly became available? I wonder how that happened.
Morepork,and kancho,
Posted on 12-08-2021 09:20 | By R. Bell
there is no fiasco at Greerton that is not commuter caused. I lived on Cameron Road Greerton for over twenty years I still use Cameron road almost daily. The roading chaos is caused by the ever increasing volume of traffic. There is no room to widen the road due to the massive cost of property acquisition. If you want to shop at Greerton take the bus or better yet choose a non peak time and try a little patience. You are both victims of your own intransigence. Just by the way, the money for the current upgrade comes from the governments ( ALL GOVERNMENTS) responsibility to modernize, in order to attract visitors in order to encourage revenue gathering, thought you would know that.
Buses
Posted on 12-08-2021 09:52 | By earlybird
If you want more people to use the buses you need to improve the infrastructure. Who wants to wait for a bus in the pouring rain or hot sun. We need all bus stops to have shelters. Maybe a free bus service should be considered in order to entice people out of their cars, because what has been done to date is not, and will not, work.
@R Bell
Posted on 12-08-2021 11:51 | By Kancho
Well I'm he first and only person to express any praise of the Greerton revamp. Everyone one else knows that the long queues either side of Greerton started from the completion of the project and associated time delays trying to get through. A lot caused by stupid design of the pedestrian crossing in the wrong place. It should have stayed where it was . Still your opinion through rose tinted specs. No one else agrees.
Pedestrian crossing Greerton
Posted on 12-08-2021 12:52 | By Kancho
Trouble is the design slows everything. So a safe pedestrian bridge with lifts on both sides like sensible cities overseas probably a lot less cost than the fiasco we have. Buses are not the answer for business or shopping merely for some on simple a to b and trips and then frequency needs to be better. Encourage people Revenue you say R Bell well people sitting in traffic isn't productive especially for tradespeople and the like. Off peak you say to visit Greerton we traffic queueing most of the day as pedestrian traffic increases because of the design . Still you must be lucky and mobile enough to only use buses.
Take a deep breath kancho,
Posted on 12-08-2021 15:41 | By R. Bell
and calm down. Re read my posts, I did not praise Greerton, in fact I refer to relative chaos. You are grossly misinformed if you believe the long queues started at the completion of the last revamp. The main cause being the roundabout at Barkes Corner, It has been going on for many years prior. The "bridge" you describe would cost millions so pray tell where would that come from? Don't bother I'll tell you, Rate increases which would then give the excuse you want to further grizzle about
@Robin Bell
Posted on 13-08-2021 11:35 | By morepork
"Commuters cause the problem"? Really? If we could only stop people needing to get to work... And yes, I am familiar with where the finance comes from; it comes from Kiwi Taxpayers who have no more say in the distribution of it than local Ratepayers have in the distribution of Council funding. The problem with Government deciding who gets what is that it all becomes political, instead of being prioritized according to need. There should be an independent body (maybe a new NZTA) that assesses and prioritizes where work is needed based on a points system so it can't be fiddled. And pie-in-the-sky projects based on an artists impression would be low in the points scale.
@ morepork
Posted on 13-08-2021 15:28 | By Yadick
Well said. How anyone can fully blame the commuter I have no idea. Cameron Road through Greerton township flowed well before TCC instigated their so-called improvements. Who in their right mind would approve a signaled pedestrian crossing at a roundabout. How often is the cycle lane used? Get rid of the cycle lane, get rid of the concrete median, put the other roundabout by the service station back to normal, move the pedestrian crossing and 2 lane one side. Tauranga, fools paradise, really? Some people need to grow up and look at the log or forest in their eye. For all the problems, mostly created by TCC not mostly commuters Tauranga is a beautiful place with beautiful people. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
No one else thinks so R Bell
Posted on 13-08-2021 16:03 | By Kancho
Greerton did cost millions so a lift would have been about the same if not less it far more practical. The traffic queueing starts at Mitre 10 nothing nothing to do with Barkes corner. Yes the traffic coming into Greerton from the south is from Barkes corner but clearly backed up from Greerton. Yes Barkes corner needs a tunnel under or something but don't hold ya breath the money is all on small minority group called cyclist. Pot holes everywhere deteriorating roads but cycle lanes get the money greenie vote catching but not for the majority of road users
Morepork, Kancho.
Posted on 14-08-2021 08:48 | By R. Bell
Cherry picking my comments is typical but as usual inaccurate. I do not " blame commuters" but it is a fact that ever increasing numbers are a major factor. There is no one particular cause but the combination leads to slow traffic. You both are part of a group that has constantly berated successive councils for donkeys years yet offer no practical solution, that does not involve massive tax payer funding something you both vehemently oppose. Your obsession with BLAME is pathetic to say the least. All councils in the area see the importance of a bus service but get little support, it's a self destructive position you refuse to recognise. By the way kancho the lights at greerton have multiple functions, they create regular intervals enabling traffic to flow across Chadwick Road, they allow safe pedestrian crossing without a multi million dollar bridge. All taxpayers.
Morepork, finally.
Posted on 14-08-2021 09:03 | By R. Bell
" Prioritized according to need" How hypocritical can anyone get. For years you have opposed prioritized health care, prioritized education and dare I say it prioritized representation for Maori. WOW!!!!!
@Kancho
Posted on 14-08-2021 13:29 | By morepork
You have correctly connected the funding with politics, which was the gist of my response to Robin. Cyclists DO need to be catered for, but NOT as the priority. I had a friend visiting from Germany last Summer and she was very impressed with the cycleways we have, and enjoyed exploring them on a borrowed bicycle. There should be a fixed percentage of road funding reserved for the maintenance and upkeep of these cycleways. But we should not have roads being neglected because it is politically expedient to be "seen to be Green".
@Yadick
Posted on 14-08-2021 13:36 | By morepork
I support your sensible suggestions for Greerton, and I suspect many others do too. It is obvious to everyone who has to commute through Greerton that the planned "improvements" are a failure. Cynical attempts to force people to bike to work are not going to work. Gentle persuasion, better (smaller) buses, and the encouragement of car pooling on decent roads, MIGHT make a difference. Meanwhile, NO-ONE accepts responsibility for the fiasco or even looks like wanting to fix it.
Morepork/kancho.
Posted on 15-08-2021 10:01 | By R. Bell
Whilst I understand your mutual respect and support, you both fail to consider all aspects of the problem particularly at Greerton. It is simply not possible to erect a span of 20 plus metres with a lift on both sides given the lack of space available on the eastern side without unacceptable cost and disruption. Cycle tracks are both to encourage AND facilitate people to use bikes instead of cars. Every bike equates to one less car. The cost of providing safe passage is peanuts compared to the cost of imported fuel, pollution, health and general wellbeing. Improvements have to cater to all road users not just cars. No one could have foreseen the massive increase in traffic volume as little as twenty five years ago. To blame current councils is both incorrect and futile. Patience is a virtue, sadly lacking in many.
Bridge
Posted on 16-08-2021 06:16 | By Kancho
Perhaps you haven't seen the pedestrian bridges as they don't take up that much room. There would be space as the footpaths are fairly wide and maybe a peek space or two would fit the road , parking and median strip is wider than many streets. Millions spent for what we have that's hopeless. I rarely see bikes so a tiny minority gets millions and the paying majority get time added to travel for work , business, shopping in fact living. Buses clearly are not fit for purpose for most people for many valid reasons. And yes the trajectory of growth has been actively encouraged and has been evident for twenty years so entirely predictable in all infrastructure.
in fact plenty of room
Posted on 16-08-2021 14:52 | By Kancho
Where the old crossing was has a large area very suitable for a lift and the other side of the street plenty of room. The lifts I have used overseas about the size of a car and suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs etc. The central median strip can also accommodate a support although probably unnecessary . I note bridges over route K as great a span with no necessary middle support and built for a a few cyclists . Bit that I have ever seen one use it. Also Tauriko has similar bridges no end of money yet not for fixing their cock up in Greerton.
Applying lipstick
Posted on 16-08-2021 19:46 | By R. Bell
to a pig kancho will not fix the problem. Taking away parking spaces to erect a multi million dollar bridge will cause disruption for weeks and do nothing to reduce traffic volume. Taking away the lights means a marginal increase in traffic flow that simply adds to the congestion from Chadwick to Barkes Corner and in the process slows merging traffic from Chadwick. Result, no real gain for most commuters. All for what kancho? To satisfy an obsession with a council that no longer exists? Temporary fixes are always money wasted in hindsight. Constantly increasing traffic volume is a world wide problem, no city I've ever visited in over twenty two nations has yet found a permanent answer. You get the final word.
No one agrees with you
Posted on 17-08-2021 10:43 | By Kancho
Council stuffed up Greerton and the pedestrian crossing is clearly a major flaw. All in the guise of safety although little history of harm. A bridge would have cost probably similar but safer .Everyone knows traffic flow is worse because of the altered layout . Buses clearly don't work for most . I note a 22 percent rise in my rates and a regional council and TCC charge of $250 for transport each ratepayer is charged similar for near empty buses. So should we be satisfied I think not
WHERE AER THE DETAILED PLANS
Posted on 31-08-2021 10:03 | By Bike Tauranga
Why won't Anne Tolly responds to an OIA and release to the public actual design plans?. Like every roading project in NZ, design plans are provided for engagement. All the public was offered was a line diagram and an artist sketch. Now the design is completed, and we the public are offered another artist sketch ( above pic ) ONLY. And Sun live reporter does not ask why no transparency? As at 31 August Anne Tolley still has not released under OIA request the completed designs to public so as to make informed feedback
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.