A raised pedestrian crossing in Matua is being ripped out and returned to being a level crossing after seven months at a cost of about $80,000 after causing “loud bangs” and shaking in nearby homes.

Locals have labelled Tauranga City Council spending on the Levers Rd project “a huge waste of money” and “senseless”, one saying the old level crossing was “perfectly adequate”.

The council said in a letter to residents that the crossing, installed last summer, caused “unforeseen vibration issues” it had not encountered in 200 crossings installed in the city under the previous Government’s Road to Zero programme.

Raised crossings were intended to encourage safer speeds and reduce harm on roads.

The raised pedestrian crossing installed on Levers Rd before it was removed on September 30 following complaints from residents living nearby about vibration impacts. Photo / Sandra Conchie

“The unique localised ground conditions at a property near the raised crossing appear to transfer vibrations to a much greater degree than expected, " the letter said.

The raised crossing and pedestrian refuge islands were removed last Monday and work to build a level crossing with median islands, new footpaths and other safety features was expected to take two weeks.

It comes after the coalition Government recently withdrew council funding for raised crossings and other traffic-calming measures.

‘Loud bangs’ heard

Several Levers Rd residents living near the “bump” told the Bay of Plenty Times they believed the raised pedestrian crossing should never have been installed.

Resident Don McBeth said in his view the months of construction to replace the “perfectly adequate level crossing” with a raised platform, then rip it out and rebuild a level crossing were disruptive and “wasteful spending” of ratepayer money.

“We’re told by the council that they had never encountered these vibration impacts … yet just around the corner in Tilby Drive the new raised crossing had to be modified due to vibration issues impacting properties.”

In Matua resident Don McBeth's view, the decision to install and then rip out a raised table crossing on Levers Rd was "wasteful spending". Photo / Sandra Conchie

Levers Rd resident Bruce Tait said Matua residents were “frustrated”.

“It’s not only been a huge waste of money but having the area down to one lane of traffic for two weeks or possibly longer is going to be a nightmare.”

Tait believed the issue was “bad design”.

Other Levers Rd residents, who asked not to be named, said large vehicles driving over the raised platform caused significant vibrations in nearby homes.

Some likened this to earthquake tremors and one said she had been “constantly worried” about the structural integrity of her home.

Another said the gradient height was adjusted three times but failed to fix the shaking.

The raised pedestrian crossing on Levers Rd has been removed and is being reverted to a level crossing. Photo / Sandra Conchie

“The worst thing is two of our bedrooms are close to the roadside so we often heard loud bangs when vehicles larger than an SUV drove over the speed bump.

“I’d hate to think exactly how much this is all costing us ratepayers.”

One resident believed a “simple fresh paint job” would have been sufficient to update the old crossing, and a grandmother said she never had any safety concerns using it with her grandchildren.

In her view: “For goodness sake, this is a senseless waste of money.”

Tauranga City Council responds

Council transport infrastructure portfolio manager Cameron Barnes said three raised crossings were built in Matua during summer to improve safety for students walking and cycling to Matua School and Matua Kindergarten.

They were on Levers Rd, Hall Rd and Clivedene St, and Levers Rd works also included new central islands and footpath widening.

Barnes said the council tried to resolve Levers Rd residents’ complaints about vibration and noise by levelling the ramp with asphalt but problems persisted at two properties.

“We know that speed-related vibration and noise can impact greatly on people’s wellbeing so on this occasion it made sense to remove the cause of the problem and reinstate the level crossing.”

Barnes said removing the raised crossing would cost the council about $40,000, with the remaining 51 per cent of costs covered by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi under the original funding agreement.

A council spokesman said the cost included reinstating the level crossing. Costs of removing the original level crossing, building the raised crossing or remediation work were unavailable.

Barnes said residents in Tilby Drive also reported vibration issues when buses went over the raised crossing installed in early 2022.

Vibration tests were carried out with buses and found to be “within the acceptable levels”.

“Again, we understand noise and vibration can be a nuisance, so in good faith, we made some changes to this crossing in late 2022 to reduce the impacts.”

Barnes said the council had installed about 200 raised crossings over the past few years as required under the previous Government’s Road to Zero road safety strategy.

He said under the new National Land Transport Programme 2024-2027, the road safety priorities changed and focused on delivering safe roading infrastructure through the Roads of National Significance and Roads of Regional Significance programmes, road policing and enforcement, fixing potholes, and increased road maintenance.

Matua School principal Marcus Norrish said the school was happy with the council’s plans for the Levers Rd crossing to improve safety for students and other pedestrians, and hoped a controlled crossing would be installed one day.

A NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) spokesperson said in regards to the “wasteful spending” criticism by some residents, because Levers Rd was not a state highway the decision sat with Tauranga City Council as the lead road controlling authority for the city’s local roads.

The Bay of Plenty Times also asked NZTA whether there had been vibration or other issues with raised table crossings installed in other parts of the country.

The Government’s Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS 2024) had an expectation investment in safety would not be made in “traffic-calming measures”, such as raised platforms, the NZTA spokesperson said.

“In alignment with the GPS, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will not be approving any new funding for new raised safety platforms through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme. NZTA funding decisions must give effect to the GPS and align with its policy direction.”

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.