Welcome Bay commuters will suffer from surfing the road

Long-suffering commuters in Welcome Bay are set to become the big losers in an attempt to reroute advanced traffic to the city from the coastal suburbs of Tauranga.

"Are we going back to where we were? Before the underpass, Bill Grainger, resident and councilman of Welcome Bay, said:

He was responding to the announcement by the NZ Transportation Agency of a lawsuit to prevent traffic to the west to use the ramp from Maungatapu roundabout to Turret Road.

Thousands of motorists, including Maungatapu, will be forced to make the detour to the Welcome Bay Underpass in an essay introduced to improve traffic flow on National Highway 29.

The trial of 10 days hopes to facilitate traffic queues using Maungatapu and Welcome Bay roundabouts.

Grainger said the lawsuit would double the number of traffic lights that motorists from Maungatapu and Mount Maunganui had to cross to reach Turret Rd – from two sets of lig But his biggest concern was the impact that the extra traffic would have on the Intersection at the Welcome Bay Underpass – only three weeks after the Welcome Bay commuters were finally relieved by the opening of the $ 45 million underpass.

Grainger said that this meant that traffic from Welcome Bay would be kept behind traffic lights for much longer to accommodate additional traffic from Maungatapu and the direction of Mount Maunganui.

& # 39; & # 39; How will it launch additional traffic around this loop? "We are going back to where we were before the underpass was opened," he asked

. And what will it do for the people of Mount Maunganui and Maungatapu if it becomes permanent?

Grainger said the underground passage had eased congestion for commuters in Welcome Bay. His experience was that peak rush hour was now saved until the Turret Rd underpass.

He said the agency should have anticipated what would happen to the rounds -points when planning the underpass. to see that there was not as much relief on the highway as he thought. The underpass was built to relieve traffic on the national highway.

He said that the road traffic had started to go up along SH29 towards Pyes Pa since the new road arrangements came into force and the old Hairini link

Although the authorities responsible Roads said the closure was for safety reasons, Grainger believed the traffic could merge safely and he wanted the section of Hairini Road to be reopened

& # 39; & # 39; Let's see what he would do. According to him, more should have been done before the trial to encourage the outgoing traffic from Ohauiti Road to use the underpass, rather than heading towards the city through the SH29 and the ramp to the roundabout. Maungatapu.

& # 39; & # 39; That would put a little more pressure on the Welcome Bay traffic, but not as much as that. & Nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; 1965 & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp A road test taken by motorists when they came out of the highway. a highway – turning left and coming back under the road to join a local road.

& # 39; & # 39; We are trying to speed up people 's journey on the national road so that they are not affected by the local road traffic. "[19659002McCarthy'srequestheirreorientationofcirculationmaybealittlelongerThiswouldfivefullfluidlongtheSH29AlematetmorequicklyinVille

used to help people navigate their way through the changes, with the phasing of the traffic lights changed to support the new movement of traffic.

& # 39; & # 39; It will take a few days for changes in bed, but we need results to see what other improvements need to be made before making permanent decisions "

The morning change of route for traffic from Te Maunga should be translate as "a more efficient journey for all," said Graham

. stop the eastbound traffic on the SH29 by accessing the ramp off the Maungatapu roundabout. However, traffic from Te Maunga that wants to access Maungatapu Road will have to use the ramp to Taipari Street

The 10-day trial to redirect traffic
– Begins on Thursday 19 July.
– Monday to Friday, 6 am to 10 am
– Roads return to normal at all other times

Trial to reroute coastal travelers from Tauranga through Welcome Bay Underpass was described as "nonsense" Graham Graham felt that New Zealand's transportation agency and city council had not given the new system a fair shot.

The underpass was inaugurated on June 22 with the construction of a new lane reserved for buses.

The retired real estate agent said that there was going to be a lot more traffic than ever before.

million. Graham said the changes would not be practical for residents of Maungatapu who, even at 8 pm, did not do it. It's a shame to leave the suburbs.

& # 39; & # 39;

There would be more traffic lights and queues waiting for lights to go green through the underpass, he said

& # 39; & # 39; & # 39; ; How is it going to affect Welcome Bay? ?

Graham said the bottom line was that huge amounts of traffic would still be coming down the road from Mount Maunganui and Papamoa in the morning peak.

That 's why some of them went through Maungatapu to miss the traffic He said, "The volume, that' s the volume. The traffic re-routing is not going to change the volumes. & # 39;

– By John Cousins ​​