12 March 2018

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Otonga/Springfield intersection upgrade

Enquiry

A reporter sought comment from council in response to concerns from business owners at the adjacent shops:

• Firstly - what consultation was done with the businesses on the corner ahead of the roadworks starting? One owner said the only info they had seen from the council was in the paper.
• how far behind schedule are the works? When are they expected to be complete?
• Why weren't the works carried out in the school holidays when the expected impact on school traffic would have been less?
• Does it surprise the Council to hear that one business on the corner has seen 40 percent fewer customers than average since the works started?
• How will the works make the intersection safer?
• Why is the zebra crossing so close to the roundabout? Does the council expect children to weave through cars if there is only space for one vehicle between the roundabout and the crossing?
• Has the council done all it could to minimise the impact from fencing, cones etc. on the businesses?

Response

From General Manager Infrastructure Stavros Michael:

We are working hard together with our partners to minimise the impact on the community, including businesses, during construction.

Our contractors have made, and will continue to make, every effort to accommodate access to all nearby properties. We appreciate that roadworks cause inconvenience but community safety is our primary consideration and traffic management, temporary fencing, cones and appropriate signage are all necessary.

Weather permitting Council expects the roadworks at the Ōtonga and Springfield intersection to be completed by mid-April as planned. We will continue to update the community about these works.

Since December 2016 when the planning stage of this project started, several letters have been hand-delivered to residents and businesses including all of Springfield Road, Ōtonga to McDowell Street and Otonga (north end) and the businesses at the intersection. Updates have also been issued via news releases on Council's website and social media, as well as through the Ōtonga Primary School newsletter and through face to face contacts where required.

Our contractors have spoken to staff of businesses at the site and have been in communication with Councillor Raj Kumar, who also has a business there, especially since the construction started in January. This has included meetings with Cr Kumar and other business owners.

We are working closely with the school, which helped design the crossing and the shared paths outside the school area. The raised platform pedestrian crossings being constructed at the intersection are designed to encourage drivers to slow down significantly as they enter the roundabout.

Our primary consideration is always the safety of the most vulnerable road users, who are pedestrians and cyclists which in this case includes a large number of school children. Crossings are being installed across the two busiest roundabout exit/entry points based on earlier monitoring which identified these as the preferred path taken by children.

To future-proof the site, infrastructure is installed underground should there be a need for traffic signals later on. For all Council projects on public spaces it is our principal consideration to ensure community safety.

The project started in January because the successful contractor was unavailable earlier due to other work commitments. However, they carried out as much work as they could before students returned to school in February. There is some road marking to be completed outside the school, which is expected to be completed soon. Significant advanced work like relocating power and telecommunication poles was carried out by utility network owners during the summer school holidays to enable site excavations to be carried out without services interruption.