Crossing at the Taupo Quay/Drews Ave intersection. Photo/Bevan Conley
Crossing at the Taupo Quay/Drews Ave intersection. Photo/Bevan Conley
A Wanganui district councillor is carrying on his fight to get a pedestrian crossing installed at one of the city's busiest streets.
Councillor Rob Vinsen said it was "madness" for his fellow councillors and council engineers to ignore putting a crossing at the intersection of Taupo Quay and Drews Avenue.
He is looking for support via a petition to bring about change and will be seeking signatures at the River Traders market this Saturday.
Mr Vinsen has been arguing for a crossing for the past five years and said now was an ideal time to get something in place as the Quay underwent a $500,000 upgrade.
His fear is that someone will get seriously injured trying to cross.
Every time he pushed for a crossing there was always an excuse, he said.
"Council engineers said it would cost $10,000 but now that we're spending a lot of money upgrading Taupo Quay that excuse is no longer valid."
Wanganui councillor Rob Vinsen wants a pedestrian crossing at the Taupo Quay/Drews Ave intersection. Photo/Bevan Conley
He said the Wanganui public was comfortable with the raised pedestrian crossings in Victoria Avenue and it was rare that a vehicle moved on to those crossings when a pedestrian was on them.
"What's planned for Taupo Quay is to raise the complete intersection at Taupo Quay-Drews Avenue, but no priority will be given for pedestrians and mobility scooters.
"That means pedestrians will have not only four-way traffic to contend with, they will also find that vehicles are on the platform with them. It's madness," Mr Vinsen said.
He raised the issue when the upgraded design for Taupo Quay was presented six months ago, but council roading engineers convinced a majority of councillors that pedestrian crossings were unnecessary.
"That's the latest roading engineer thinking - shared carriageways with cars, trucks, pedestrians, mobility scooters, cyclists - in fact, everyone on the same carriageway.
"They reason that 'it makes people take more care'. Quite frankly, I think it's bunkum, but it might take a death or serious injury to prove it."
Mr Vinsen said the upgrade work had not finished so there was an opportunity to make Taupo Quay safer by modifying the design and installing crossings instead of the intersection-wide raised platform.
"If the public agree with me and see the need for a safer crossing over Taupo Quay, then now is the time to make it known."
He can be contacted at: rob.vinsen@wanganui.govt.nz or phone 021 766781.
