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JULY 25, 2024
Roundabout ruckus By Mary Anne Gill
Truckies say Waipā District Council is ignoring them and riding roughshod over their claims recent road and roundabout changes in Cambridge are dangerous and damaging their vehicles. They are calling on the council to redesign two roundabouts – in Leamington and Hautapu – and remove what they say are the “excessive number” of recently installed speed humps. The humps are designed to slow traffic down but it is claimed they cause severe damage to truck tyres and underbellies. Dave Wilkinson, a truck driver for 50 years, and Mike Ross from C & R Developments met deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kelly Bouzaid and Cambridge Community Board chair Jo DaviesColley at the Shakespeare St roundabout earlier this month. “They are killing this town,” said Wilkinson of the council. “They’re pandering so much to the cyclists that they’ve forgotten about the heavy transport industry which this town relies on.” Matters came to a head last week when it was revealed a housemoving truck gouged a newly laid grass verge at the Shakespeare St roundabout. Instead of going around the roundabout north of Fergusson (Low Level) Bridge into Cook Street, the truck and trailer - with house on board -turned right before the roundabout and over
Truckies say this roundabout in Shakespeare St, and one in Hautapu, are not fit for purpose. the verge on the wrong side of the road. Service delivery group manager Dawn Inglis told The News the council would attempt to recover costs from the trucking company and rejected suggestions poor roundabout design was to blame. “We are confident the design is appropriate for the types of traffic using the roundabout and this has been subject to external audit.” She suggested some drivers were intentionally mounting grass verges at the roundabout. Stolwyk said she was not impressed with the roundabout design. A new pedestrian-cycle crossing area less than five metres south of the roundabout was
a blind spot for truck drivers entering the roundabout from Cook Street because they could not see pedestrians or cyclists from the cab. Their view was limited to four to five metres. She visited the roundabout last week to see for herself from inside a truck cab. “The truck drivers are coming into a high developed area and they’re looking right for oncoming traffic. “I’m unhappy with the roundabout (design). My priority is the crossing and the concerns of the heavy haulage operators,” she said. “The purpose of providing a crossing was to make it safer. I think we are providing the public
with a false sense of security. Have we put that crossing in the right place? “I’ve made my views known to staff,” she said. “(Truck) drivers don’t want to run anyone over.” Truckies’ preference was for the crossing to be installed 100 metres north of the roundabout, further up Shakespeare St. Wilkinson said trucking operators had been telling the council for months that their road and roundabout designs were substandard and damaging their vehicles. Shakespeare St roundabout – which is used by oversized truck and trailer units on their way to
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Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
and from the Port of Tauranga was the last straw, he said. “They do everything on computer modelling and because the computer says so, that’s what they design. “I’m speaking out because of my knowledge and the arrogance of this council. They are not listening to the ratepayers and to experts,” said Wilkinson. The News has seen a letter the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association sent to the council on behalf of several contractors about the new roundabout in Victoria Road outside APL’s Hautapu headquarters. Chief executive Jonathan BhanaThomson said it was critical the roundabout could cater to large oversize transporters. Contractors in the area include APL, C & R Developments and pre-build house construction companies Elevate and Leisurecom. “From my initial viewing of the design of the roundabouts and the lane widths, I would very much doubt that the roundabout would enable large transporters (and their loads) to travel through.” Wilkinson said the roundabout was now so tight, he doubted transporters could get through without mounting the centre islands. “They’re not giving us enough room to get around. “The council are riding roughshod over the transport industry,” he said. • Roundabout review released, Page 5 • See more cambridgenews.nz
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