Kahikatea Drive businesses raise traffic safety fears

Businesses operating around Kahikatea Drive are sick of waiting for improvements to the road, and worried about staff safety in the meantime.

Around 26,000 cars already travel on Kahikatea Drive each day, creating what one businessman has described as a “Russian roulette” situation at intersections.

The positioning of bus stops has also been criticised, along with a lack of provision for cyclists and pedestrians.

Despite the concerns of businesses on the stretch between Ohaupo Road (SH3) and Greenwood Street, the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) says there is not enough funding to improve it in the near future.

Armand Petrin of Dairy Goat Co-operative was at a loss as to how to convince the NZTA of the danger of the Gallagher Drive-Kahikatea Drive intersection.

He aired his concerns at a Hamilton City Council Strategy and Policy committee meeting this week.

“In the end, it’s a bit like Russian roulette.  You give it a go, and see what happens.

Other large employers at the meeting, Gallagher’s Charitable Trust and Greenlea Premier Meats, were equally worried, but the NZTA said the upgrade would not be considered before 2015.

Cr Dave Macpherson was also critical of the NZTA’s low prioritisation of Kahikatea Drive.

“Between Auckland and Wellington, what other parts of State Highway One would have as much traffic or as much congestion and potential safety issues, and therefore affect economic development?”

He lamented the lack of progress, and said the NZTA forgot about funds collected for the purpose until the council reminded them.

The Hamilton City Council holds $50,000 in developer contributions, collected for future roading improvements.

The money was a condition of a resource consent, collected by the council on the NZTA’s behalf.

Gallagher’s was among the contributors, and has been asking for action since the early 2000s.

John Gallagher said at the meeting that he was looking forward to going around the roundabout in the next couple of years.

But NZTA transport planning manager Anuradha Fitzwalter said the developer contributions were only drop in the funding bucket when it came to upgrading the complex stretch of road.

“We’re not talking about minor works.  We are talking about significant improvements to the intersection,” she said.

The local NZTA branch tried to obtain advanced funding to begin the project, but was unsuccessful  because the agency would still have had to provide $3m to $4m.

Fitzwalter said the best solution was to build a stronger case for the Kahikatea upgrade over the next year, and get it in the 2015-2018 NZTA national plan.