Game Changer co-owner Jai Huta leans on metal barriers installed after the failed safety upgrade of the intersection. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
New Plymouth locals says the district council has botched the job of fixing a dangerous intersection in the city.
The intersection at Huatoki and Carrington streets is on a main arterial route, linking one side of the city with the other.
Work began on the busy junction in 2020, and almost immediately residents and businesses complained that it was making things worse.
The council put in a raised crossing and gardens as part of a more than $800,000 package of safety improvements, incorporating the nearby Vogeltown School.
But the crossing was confusing, as it was not a proper pedestrian crossing, and very close to the intersection.
It was also hard to see oncoming traffic at some parts of the intersection.
Jai Huta, the co-owner of Game Changer - a sports apparel business - based at the Vogeltown shops, said the project, which was 51 percent NZTA funded, was flawed from the beginning.
"Pedestrians were walking across the road with traffic turning around the corner at 50km/h, so hugely unsafe.
"And a lot of little people were walking to school and thinking they had the right to cross the road, which in hindsight as a little person you do, but it was just very unsafe."
An independent audit agreed.
The path leading to the raised crossing has now been fenced off for several years. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Temporary metal barriers soon went in at the crossing and ramps, along with a forest of reflective poles - which remain to this day.
Huta said the intersection was still dangerous.
"I've actually seen a car leaving this intersection turning right crash into an oncoming vehicle and then we've had to go out and assist, which is fine, so that's happened two or three times now.
"The amount of near misses on this corner now is at least one a day. It's pretty dangerous."
Katie lived nearby and was on the school run.
"Yeah, I'm 100 percent local. We live just down that way. 'Desperately unsafe' is how I would describe it. Especially when that suggestion of a pedestrian crossing was put up and then the fencing went up quite quickly after that when there was a realisation that it was not a good idea."
She could believe those responsible got it so wrong.
"It's terrible, right? It's a disgrace, it's a total waste of money. You would think with the amount of intellect that is involved with planning roading and community planning it would've been a brilliant result, but I just think it's terrible. It's a crying shame really and I'd like to see it changed."
Bevan was also picking up kids, and said he could see what the problem was.
"It's always difficult turning right down there that's for sure. I mean we try and go around the outside because it's way easier to get out, but when you get stuck in there and you want to go right it's a nightmare."
Spotting a solution was not so easy.
"They should open it up a bit more rather than closing it off. It's just too tight, but I don't know what you'd do, a roundabout maybe?"
A forest of reflective poles now greets motorists approaching the intersection. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Meanwhile, Huta could believe some on the council wanted to take over installing roundabouts on State Highway 3 from NZTA.
"Yeah, that's a hard one to swallow I think if we can't get a main thoroughfare intersection sorted within New Plymouth how are they going to take on managing the infrastructure throughout the district.
"Look this is a major headache and if they can't sort if out in four years how long is it going to take to get a roundabout at Airport Drive."
Mayor Neil Holdom admitted the Vogeltown intersection was not council's finest work.
"But you've got to understand we are trying to in one road have an arterial road, a school drop off zone, a residential retail zone all in the same place and the majority of the investment around the safety improvements around the school have gone down really well, but the work on the intersection definitely left room for improvement."
In May, council left a decision on a new $180,000 fix for the intersection lying on the table after the community raised continued concerns.
