Temporary roundabout at Victoria Avenue and Glasgow St intersection sparks debate

Cars navigate the temporary roundabout on the intersection of Victoria Ave and Glasgow St. Photo / Mike Tweed

The installation of a temporary roundabout on the intersection of Victoria Ave and Glasgow St has prompted calls from the public, who say traffic flow in the area has never been better, for the roundabout to be left in place.

But Whanganui District Council engineers and its infrastructure committee chairman, Alan Taylor, say the new lights are the right option.

"Most of the public aren't traffic engineers, and I'm certainly not a traffic engineer," Taylor said.

"We have very good engineers on our staff, and I defer to their knowledge in this instance. It's certainly not done on a whim."

Taylor said the decision was completely evidence based, with the flow of traffic, pedestrians and cyclists being carefully monitored.

"It's horses for courses in this regard," he said.

"Sometimes roundabouts are the best option, sometimes a simple give-way sign will do. Upgrading the lights at this particular intersection is what the experts have decided upon, and that's what they're employed to do.

"In this particular situation, we had a set of lights that weren't working properly. The reason we're having a new set of lights installed instead of a roundabout is the scientific research our traffic engineers have carried out to achieve the most efficient outcome."

While the current construction site is protected by fencing, road cones and a diversion for heavy trucks, Taylor said a permanent roundabout wouldn't have any warning signals, and traffic would eventually take higher risks when approaching it.

Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.