Controversial traffic light crossing to stay in Wānaka

A controversial new traffic-light controlled pedestrian crossing near a busy Wānaka intersection will remain after a tight vote by the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board.

The decision closes off what was a flawed procedural process due to an error by Queenstown Lakes District Council staff.

Installed as part of the local council's Schools to Pool route, the crossing over State Highway 84 required the extension of an existing traffic island - as a result, traffic can no longer turn right into Ardmore Street, while the left turn movement is now too tight for larger vehicles.

Access to several businesses at the start of Ardmore Street also now requires a 200 metre detour up Ballantyne Road, and the owners of the businesses have complained to the council about the new layout, according to a report to the board by staff.

Members of the community board had a choice, leave the layout be, as the works are complete and the crossing is helping to keep pedestrians safe, or remove the new crossing and reinstate things to how they were at a cost of approximately $560,000.

The final vote? Four-three for leaving it be.

Chair Simon Telfer, councillors Lyal Cocks and Cody Tucker and community board member John Wellington voted for; councillor Barry Bruce and community board members Linda Joll and Chris Hadfield, against.

The roading project was a joint initiative by the council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

However, an important step in the process was left out - although the community board workshopped the issue, it never formally signed off on the resulting changes to traffic movements as a result of the new layout as legally required.

Therefore the board on Thursday was in the position of being asked to 'retrospectively' approve the removal of the turning options at the intersection, and council infrastructure operations manager Simon Mason apologised to members for the "situation" in front of them.

"It was an honest error. It was missed as this project was worked through that this formal approvement was required."

Chair Simon Telfer clarified with staff that during the morning rush data showed less than one percent of traffic - 14 out of 600-odd vehicles - opted to turn right off the highway and onto Ardmore Street rather than travel straight through when the option to turn was still available.

He also asked if council staff had received any additional official complaints about the new roading layout - they said they had not.

Mr Wellington, who supported leaving the intersection alone, said the one minute detour created could not "justify removing the installation of the traffic lights as part of a project that been talked about and developed over years".

Councillor Tucker called the idea to backtrack "crazy", saying as a motorist himself he had "no problem" with the new set up and was "confused at what the resistance towards this is".

"I don't see the alternative that they're proposing is somehow better or safer or more efficient."

He said he thought it was "reckless" that others around the table would consider spending in excess of $500,000 to "destroy" the completed roadworks.

Councillor Cocks agreed, saying "the lights are there...rightly or wrongly in the eyes of the public" and he could not support "removing what is done".

He did however pitch an alternative way forward, that the lights remain but be turned off until more evidence be provided of their impact, but the idea failed to gain support.

Mr Wellington suggested it was "putting the cart before the horse" as the lights needed time to prove themselves, while Mr Telfer said it was outside of the board's remit, plus the "armageddon" predicted prior to them being switched on had not eventuated.

Mr Telfer said during peak times the road will be congested "lights or not".

Councillor Bruce, who supported removing the island and lights, criticised the council report on the table related to the decision, arguing it focused on road user safety with "no information" on impacts on "efficiency" of the network.

He claimed first responders were blindsided by the roading changes, only hearing about them from contractor Fulton Hogan prior to construction work commencing, and he believed there had been inadequate community consultation on the project in general.

It was a sentiment shared by both Ms Joll and Mr Hadfield, the remaining supporters of reversing the layout.

Ms Joll challenged the half a million dollar cost assessment by staff as seeming to be "figures pulled out of the sky".

A recording of the full meeting of the community board, held for the first time at the Cardrona Hall, is available on the council's YouTube channel.

Main image (Canva collage - not real image)