Crossing closure plan irks residents

Ngatai Rd resident John Buck at the controversial point where a council walkway crosses the pedestrian railway crossing. Photo/file

Kiwirail has created an uproar in Tauranga by trying to close one of the top 10 most unsafe pedestrian railway crossings in New Zealand.

Residents, some of whom were already upset by ceiling cornices cracking inside their homes from the vibrations of passing trains, turned out in force yesterday to oppose the "arbitrary" closure of the shortcut linking the end of Beach Rd with Ngatai Rd.

They put their case to the city council for a 30-day reprieve from KiwiRail's intention to close the illegal crossing.

The walkway that descends from Ngatai Rd and links into the Seaway Tce cul-de-sac was popular with elderly people, especially those walking their dogs.

KiwiRail's zero harm manager Peter Dix argued that the walkway crossing was illegal and they had been working with the council on its closure for years.

He acknowledged that the community living around the track felt aggrieved, but that the crossing was an "illegal fixture in the rail corridor".

Seaway Tce resident Doreen Anderson said residents had engaged the services of a transportation safety specialist and asked that KiwiRail delay "this hasty process" by 30 days to fully argue their case.

There had never been an accident at the crossing.

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