Taupō district mayor David Trewavas is calling for a roundabout or traffic lights at the Kiddle Dr/Napier Rd/Arrowsmith Ave intersection to be urgently brought forward.
Mr Trewavas intends to table a motion at tomorrow's council meeting asking councillors to consider fast-tracking further changes at the intersection.
Investigation and installation of a roundabout is currently set down in the council's Amended Long Term Plan for some time between 2026 and 2028. The council has set aside $2.39 million for a roundabout at the intersection and intends to consult on it early in 2024.
In 2014, the NZ Transport Agency ranked the intersection third in the top 100 most dangerous intersections in New Zealand. It had recorded a series of near-misses and crashes over the years.
Crash data from 2013 to 2018 showed that while there have not been any fatal or serious-injury crashes at the intersection in that period, there were three crash-causing injuries and eight non-injury crashes there from 2014 to the first quarter of 2018. Of the 13 crashes recorded, most (92 per cent) were caused by drivers failing to give way or stop, with poor observation and poor handling resulting in rear-end crashes also a factor. The intersection was also a bottleneck, with large queues at peak times between 8.30am and 9am and 3pm and 3.30pm.
Late last year the Taupō District Council altered the intersection priority, installing stop signs on Napier Rd and giving priority to traffic travelling along Kiddle Dr and Arrowsmith Ave.
However the change has been greeted with repeated complaints on social media with people documenting near-misses and some crashes, mainly caused by people failing to stop on Napier Rd.
Mr Trewavas' motion for tomorrow's meeting is that council chief executive Gareth Green be asked to urgently prepare an analysis of bringing forward an alternative solution for the Napier Rd/Kiddle Dr/Arrowsmith Ave intersection to enable the urgent and immediate construction of a roundabout, installation of traffic lights or alternatives.
The motion asks for a report on options for the intersection no later than at the council's meeting on February 25.
Mr Trewavas says he put the motion because he had seen "so much confusion about people not knowing what to do once they get to the intersection".
Taupō district mayor David Trewavas. Photo / File
"Even myself, it just doesn't feel right," he said. "The configuration is fine but people just are not used to it and getting used to it. We've got a roundabout in the Long Term Plan and I'm suggesting to the councillors that perhaps we might want to bring that forward."
Community discussion about the intersection was still going on months after the changes and Mr Trewavas said he had a responsibility to ask the council whether it needed to take an in-depth look at the options.
He said while he accepted that it might be even more confusing to drivers to have another change, that would be a decision for the full council to make.
Taupō Police road policing manager Senior Sergeant Fane Troy says police have recorded six crashes at the intersection since October and had done a lot of work there with people travelling through the stop signs and trying to educate them about being more aware of their surroundings.
"When you make changes to intersections or anything around the roads, people will notice it but after a week or two they drift back into autopilot of how they used to be. The same thing happens with speed limit changes," Mr Troy said.
"The way the intersection is designed now is for the flow of the traffic, which is better because the road that has most of the traffic now has the right of way, but it comes down to people. People are not paying attention and it's been locals and visitors to town that have been crashing up there."
Mr Troy said Police would support any road safety initiatives which would reduce deaths and serious injuries.
Local Mike Giesen, who drives through the intersection regularly, said overall he supposed the changes were an improvement but he still had some concerns. While traffic flows were better, he said it was hard for trucks and trailers coming up the hill to start after having to stop. Poor visibility along Kiddle Dr for people trying to turn right out of Napier Rd into Kiddle Dr was a problem. He had also noticed drivers turning left out of Napier Rd onto Arrowsmith Ave were not stopping.
While Mr Giesen thought a roundabout might be better, he did not want traffic lights there.
Geoff Hopkins, who lives near the intersection, says the recent changes are an improvement but thought it should have been made a roundabout.
However, he blamed the crashes and near misses after the changes on New Zealanders' poor driving.
"A stop sign should mean stop. People aren't stopping at the stop signs, they're giving way.
"People need to take a big bloody breath and just slow down."
