The majority of public submissions were in favour of leaving Taupō Quay as it is. Photo / Bevan Conley
The majority of public submissions were in favour of leaving Taupō Quay as it is. Photo / Bevan Conley
A raised pedestrian crossing project connecting Whanganui’s Pākaitore Reserve with the Whanganui River will not proceed as planned.
The $830,000 project was included as the Whanganui District Council’s preferred option during its long-term plan (LTP) consultation process but 992 of 1419 public submissions were against it.
Following the consultation, council officers recommended no changes to the existing road layout citing costs, public opinion, and simpler methods of speed calming.
During deliberations on the LTP last week, Councillor Charlotte Melser introduced a motion for the project not to proceed but for the council to engage with stakeholders to investigate alternative ways of connecting the reserve to the river.
“There are things we can do with art and lighting and so on.”
Whanganui district councillor Charlotte Melser. Photo / Bevan Conley
He said the council should engage closely with its iwi partners to determine what the connection looked like.
Deputy Mayor Helen Craig said having no budget for the project meant the council could not apply for central government funding.
“We need to be thinking a bit further out,” she said.
“We’ve got a 10-year plan. Let’s continue to look at 10 years of funding for things.”
Melser said she had not considered a budget for the investigation work and proposed that it would come back through an annual plan if required.
She said she wanted assurance that the council’s roading team would engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way, including a broader scope than just safety.
Council chief executive David Langford confirmed it would.
Funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi’s Low-Cost Low-Risk initiative was heavily subscribed and most of the council’s top priorities for it were currently around schools, he said.
“Based on the work in the programme, I suspect that in itself will take a year or two to clear before this particular location has any chance of making it into the priority zone of the list.”
Councillor Rob Vinsen said a weight restriction on the Dublin Street Bridge meant all heavy vehicles had to travel along Taupō Quay - the location of the proposed crossing.
“There is a large number of them,” he said.
“They are very adamant they don’t want another impediment in that area, whether it’s a painted zebra crossing or a raised crossing.
”I think they have a very good case until the Dublin Street Bridge is able to take the weight of those heavy vehicles.”
All councillors voted not to proceed with the crossing, with Vinsen and Councillor Michael Law voting not to engage with stakeholders to investigate alternative ways of connecting the reserve to the river.
The decision means ratepayers will save $6 per property per year for 10 years from 2029/30.
Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
