Since moving to Greerton five years ago the suburb's main road has been of great interest to Alan Northcote.

The retiree arrived in the Tauranga suburb as safety improvements to Cameron Road were underway through the Greerton Village shops.

Northcote took a keen interest in the roadworks and labelled himself the 'old fart supervisor” often chatting to the contractors as they worked.

Now, Northcote feels this 'good work”, which was contentious at the time, could be undone with the latest Tauranga City Council (TCC) project aimed at improving safety and accessibility on Cameron Road.

The Cameron Road Stage 2 project will focus on Cameron Road between 17th Avenue and Cheyne Road in Pyes Pā.

Council director of transport Brendan Bisley says the estimated cost for stage two is $159,475,703, but this would be further developed once a preferred option is identified and concept designs are progressed.

Stage one between Harrington Street and 17th Avenue is underway, adding a separated two-way cycleway, bus lanes and making layout changes to Cameron Road. As well as upgrading 100-year-old infrastructure including sewers, wastewater pipes and stormwater treatments.

The current forecasted cost for stage one is $97.5M and construction is expected to be finished in December 2023, says Bisley.

The Greerton Village portion of the stage two project would reduce Cameron Road to one general traffic lane in each direction and add a dedicated cycleway as well improved street greening.

The council produced three initial concepts for the village and ran public consultation between February 27 and April 2.

Two of the concepts showed a pedestrian crossing on Chadwick Road on the east side of the roundabout with Cameron Road.

The crossing is a controversial issue for Northcote who claims the crossing would not be safe for disabled people as there are steps on one side of the road down to the footpath.

Alan Northcote says if a pedestrian crossing were to lead to these steps it would be unsuitable for those with disabilities. Photo: Brydie Thompson/SunLive.

'Under legislation from 2002 people with disabilities have to have safe entry and safe exit on and off pedestrian crossings. And they [the council] can't possibly put one there for that reason,” he says.

Northcote has essential tremor and uses a walking stick.

The 82-year-old is also worried that reducing Cameron Road to single lanes and changes to the Chadwick Road roundabout would increase the likelihood of head on collisions.

'Council is expecting us to swallow this substitution for the excellent engineering that we've got at the moment. The roundabout is excellently engineered and balanced.

'What they come up with is something that's very, very dangerous. Within months, they'd have fatalities there,” claims Northcote.

He made a submission about his concerns and has been dealing with council staff as well.

Northcote says the staff have been 'great to engage with” but the passionate partisan has also taken his concerns to the top. The retiree met with commission chair Anne Tolley on Wednesday.

After the meeting, Tolley told Local Democracy Reporting: 'Alan takes a keen interest in Greerton which is very helpful. He has made some very insightful suggestions and we are grateful for his considerable efforts to help us.”

Addressing Northcote's points, TCC network safety and sustainability manager Anna Somerville says the project is about making the area between 17th Avenue and Cheyne Road safer and more attractive, while providing more ways for people to move.

The three concept plans were developed to reflect community feedback from previous consultations, including that parking is very important to local businesses and people want good pedestrian access across the road in this area, says Somerville.

The three concept plans for Greerton Village. Images: Tauranga City Council.

'Pedestrian crossings provide opportunities for people to cross safely, particularly near intersections where there is increased traffic movement.

'The concept plans are an idea of what could be put in place to enhance people moving through the village to help people visual potential options.”

The plans established key principles and opportunities and are not fully developed designs, she says.

'There are benefits and compromises for each concept, however they must all be achievable within the space we have available based on the road survey plan and, ultimately, must meet safety, mobility, and accessibility standards.”

'During this current phase of work, we are considering all of the community feedback received alongside technical analysis to inform recommending a preferred option.

'Depending on what is progressed to the next phase of detailed design, technical specialists will inform further development of a preferred option and a full safety audit will be undertaken on the preferred option,” says Somerville.

Engagement on the project began in early 2022 and the latest phase throughout March saw 160 people visit the council's project team at several community events and more than 280 people responded to the council's online survey, she says.

The Greerton Village concepts were included in the survey which asked people's preference between them as well as a ‘Do Nothing' option, says Somerville.

'We are currently assessing all feedback received and will share a summary of our findings soon.”

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