Catalogue of heavy traffic bypass woes for Council

Heavy trucks, particularly log carriers, are causing more water leaks, more noise, more surface damage and a menace to child safety as they travel through the Dublin St heavy traffic bypass past Martinborough School, South Wairarapa councillors were told at their recent meeting.

Submitter John MacGibbon ran through a catalogue of noise cacophany, a list of persistent water leaks (“some water leaks have been repaired four times”), and noted “double wheel trucks are wrecking the new (street tarmac) surface already” _ only months after it was patched.  

His main focus was on speed, already reduced to 40 kmh past the school area.

“Reduce it to 30 kmh for heavy traffic,” he suggested. That “will reduce street damage on the heavy traffic bypass and (improve) the safety of kids at school,” noting the “heavy trucks are seriously damaging the street and causing persistent water leaks.”

Patching of the street’s surface damage merely means they make more noise as they rattle through with full loads.

Child safety means 40 kmh “is quite dangerous (for kids) and should be reduced to 30 kmh,” he said. “Even a speed limit of 30 kmh  won’t fix the (heavy truck) problem.”

Councillor Pip Maynard said she had seen “the water leaks and potholes are pretty bad. Can we make water leaks a (special) action item?” for the council’s contractors.

Chief executive Janice Smith said Wellington Water “is back doing the Dublin St leaks.”

Mayor Martin Connelly asked whether the stretch of Dublin should remain a heavy traffic bypass, as “times have changed, it’s time to review the heavy bypass,” as there was”not a viable substrata for a (heavy bypass) road.” 

Senior planning manager Russell O’Leary agreed the bypass issue “is certainly a topic for further investigation.”

 At an earlier hearing resident Joelle Thompson had also sought to have the Dublin St bypass speed limit reduced to 30 kmh “for the safety and comfort of residents and particularly of primary school children.” 

“There is an increasing volume of traffic, much of which is exceeding the current 40kmh speed limit in the school zone, with many cars travelling at 60kmh at certain times of day and significantly faster on some evenings – not only on weekends,” she told the meeting. 

Variable speed reductions to 30 kmh had been included in the council’s draft speed management plan for the school zone section of Dublin St. But the speed management plan is on hold while the new government reshapes land transport rules to reverse plans for blanket and permanent speed reductions nationwide. 

Instead, the coalition wants to implement reduced/variable speeds near schools during pick-up and drop-off periods. 

ends