Simeon Brown in Tauranga: National’s transport spokesman targets Western Bay roading woes

Western Bay of Plenty roads have become so perilous a resident says she now dreads leaving her driveway because it is like playing “Russian roulette”.

Her concerns were among those raised at a meeting about the region’s transport infrastructure today, held by Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell and attended by National’s transport spokesman Simeon Brown and about 150 people.

At the meeting, Brown promised to complete the Takitimu North Link (TNL) stage one and start stage two, and make the road four lanes for all vehicles, within National’s first term if it won the election.

He also spoke out against a proposal for bilingual transport signs and promised to make Government land transport policy less “mode shift” and more “mode choice”.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson briefly joined the meeting via phone and spoke of the “shambolic situation we have around Wairoa Bridge” in the Western Bay.

State Highway 2 roadworks, including cycleway works at the bridge, have resulted in hundreds more people taking local roads to cut ahead of heavy congestion on the highway between Tauranga and Ōmokoroa. The congestion has added more than an hour to some travel times in recent weeks, making people late for work and children late for school.

The delays were described last week as “unacceptable” by a Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency leader, who said the congestion was a surprise.

Brown said he would “stop” the Wairoa Bridge works if he became Minister of Transport. He said he would ensure the TNL was completed first, as it would offer people an alternative route to State Highway 2.

He was not asked if he would introduce tolls for the TNL but spoke, in general, of how they could be helpful to bring infrastructure forward.

Brown said that when a toll was brought in to help set up the Tauranga Eastern Link, it was widely supported.

He was asked his opinion on Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s proposal to introduce te reo Māori to road signs.

“My view is it will make signs more confusing. We all speak English, they should all be English,” Brown said.

National Party transport spokesman Simeon Brown at a meeting in Bethlehem. Photo / Alex Cairns

This week the transport agency announced its He Tohu Huarahi Māori Bilingual Traffic Signs programme was going out for public consultation. If successful, it would result in destination signs, public and active transport signs, walking and cycling signs, general advisory and warning signs, plus motorway and expressway signs being replaced with bilingual versions.

“They should be spending their money filling potholes. Not coming up with new signage. How about not spending money on nice-to-haves, just do your job,” Brown said.

Brown told the crowd that transport was a critical issue and he planned to make the roading network as safe and efficient as it could be.

Two women separately spoke of how they believed they were taking their lives into their hands each day by exiting their driveways.

One woman spoke of playing “Russian roulette” turning right off Ōmokoroa Rd on to SH2 towards Katikati. Sometimes she resorted to turning left and then “doing a U-ey into Youngston Rd which is even more dangerous”, she said.

“I dread it.”

A Cambridge Rd resident said her 16-year-old grandson, who lived with her and had just got his driver’s licence, had already been hit twice while exiting her property near Tauriko.

“I take my life into my hands when I leave my property,” she said.

“Cambridge Rd is hideous. Tauriko corner has become hideous. It needs to be attended to immediately.”

Uffindell said it was “something we definitely intend to address”.

He said it “doesn’t cost a lot of money to fix” and the Government was spending a lot anyway so could “spare a little bit to help keep people like you safe”.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell speaks at a transport meeting in Bethlehem. Photo / Alex Cairns

In response, Minister of Transport Michael Wood told the Bay of Plenty Times the National Party failed to deliver projects such as the TNL in its time in government and a promise of completing them if elected “lacks any credibility”.

“Stage one of the Takitimu North Link is under way. This huge project which is employing hundreds of locals and will deliver a safer, more resilient transport system for all modes actually started construction in 2021. Route protection for stage two is under way,” he said.

Wood said more than $100 million was being invested in critical safety improvements on SH2.

“National has no credibility on these issues and is just talk,” he said.

“They did not deliver any of these projects in office, and at the same time froze road maintenance funding for eight years. These big projects do take time to deliver, but Labour now has them under way and will continue to make progress for the Bay.”

A transport agency spokesman said the sign programme had a “low-cost” approach and existing signs would only be replaced with bilingual signs when they need to be replaced due to damage or wear and tear.

“We have identified international precedents and examined the safety implications of bilingual signage. Many countries use bilingual signage, and research demonstrates that bilingual signs have not led to an increase in the number of people who have been killed or seriously injured where this has been measured.”

Using te reo Māori on traffic signs would contribute to a country where te reo Māori was visible at a community level and the mana of te reo was affirmed and recognised, he said.

The rollout would begin with signs that need to be replaced, particularly in hard-hit regions where signs were damaged during the cyclone.

The general election will take place on October 14.