Roads to nowhere? Wairarapa councils are considering diversion options

Bypass roads are serious options to ease the burden on Wairarapa’s crisp main streets for all three district councils.

Wairarapa has seen an increase in passenger travel and heavy vehicles carrying timber, stocks and other products to the capital’s overseas ports and ferries.

State Highway 2, which passes through downtown Featherston, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton, is the main arterial route to and from Wellington.

Plans are underway to create other routes through the area as the growing population of Wairarapa increases demand on the streets.

More motorists in cities have raised concerns about safety, wear and tear and sustainability.

According to a 2016 report by Waka Kotahi, nearly 33,000 daily trips are made between Masterton and Upper Hutt every day. More than a third are in the Masterton-Carterton “corridor”.

Traffic growth accelerated in the two years prior to that report, from 2% to 10%.

Although Waka Kotahi maintains the road, the planning and associated problems are felt at the district level.

The Masterton district council yesterday began lowering speed limits in the center of town, following changes to speed regulations in the district.

Bex Johnson, a district councilor and chair of her downtown reference group, said she would endorse alternative routes for safety reasons.

“It’s really difficult, especially crossing Chapel St. And the wear and tear on the roads as well. It would make our financial district safer.”

She said she would advocate for it if people thought it’s a good idea.

“Personally, I would. But I’m just one voice. From a safety perspective, I know the trucks in Chapel St are worrying a lot of people.”

South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen met with Waka Kotahi officials in September about possible heavy vehicle routes.

Beijen said they were being considered as part of space planning, but “any plan to make this a reality will be decades into the future.”

Councilors for the South Wairarapa District (SWDC) have held discussions with experts in retail and planning about the future of Greytown’s popular Main Street.

An older plan had raised the possibility of a heavy traffic detour down West City Street, but that idea never gained traction.

Greytown Borough Councilman Alistair Plimmer said a long-term vision for road driving in the area would be developed with the community.

“Wellington City Council is speaking in close proximity to 200,000 people in the region over the next 30 years.

“The Wairarapa portion would make State Highway 2 through our cities almost disastrous. They would be very congested.

“It makes sense to me to mark a possible new state highway route in the space plan. If you don’t do it now, when the time comes to do it, that land will not be available.

“Nothing in the space plan will be set in stone, but you have to put these ideas in for people to think about.”

Plimmer is on the Wairarapa Road Safety Council (WRSC) with Rebecca Vergunst, Deputy Mayor of Carterton.

Vergunst said the Carterton District Council was “always in the back of our minds” but was not allocated funds.

“If a detour occurred, it would have to be a collaborative project between the three councils and Waka Kotahi.

“A couple of community consultations are coming up that will address this issue and whether or not CDC should make diversion a priority.”

Bruce Pauling, the WRSC manager, said the detours would be safer but that they were “nice to have” because of their cost.

Pauling said that in a world of perfect infrastructure, heavy transport would be diverted from cities.

The work already done by some councils to invest billions of dollars in a detour route “just doesn’t add up.”

“I suggest that no local city council has the funds to invest heavily in this project, with more pressing issues like water storage, repairs to old infrastructure, and maintaining current levels of service.

“It is always up to local bodies to have a long-term strategy, which is what their long-term plan is all about, so our municipalities have discussed a detour and some potential ‘paper paths’ have been identified, as possible. ‘flat’ for any potential in the future. “

However, Bryan Styles, owner of the Carterton company, called for caution.

Styles, who owns and operates an engine shop in the city, said it could take a lot of business out of the Wairarapa CBD.

“It won’t just be the logging trucks that use it. As soon as you put a detour, that almost indicates the death of a town, I think.

“Because people who don’t need to go through the city won’t. It’s just my personal opinion, but you’re between a rock and a hard place, if you know what I mean.”

Wairarapa District Councils are all in various stages of participation and consultation on long-term planning.

SWDC’s long-term and spatial planning engagement program is now open. The Carterton and Masterton boards will receive further feedback during the course of 2020/21.

Each council’s long-term plan consultations are due in June 2021.

Truckies opinions on detours

The first delegate of the Union, Neil Allport, is a truck driver with a lot of experience driving trucks the length and breadth of New Zealand.

Allport said similar plans have occurred in Taranaki. Hawke’s Bay and Kāpiti have also experienced major road changes in recent years.

He said deviations can cause longer trips.

“They’re all over the place. They can be a bit annoying if they add time to your career.

“They usually go around the back of town, not in a straight line. So by the time you’ve made four directional changes and you’re back on the highway, you’ve lost a bit of momentum and time.

Martinborough Transportation Manager Josh Hawkins said he would be happy to see detours away from the cities of Wairarapa, but felt there were bigger problems on the Wairarapa road network.

“We really have to think about it in the way the traffic has increased. We have to do something before it’s too late.”

“But there have to be more urgent things to fix first. Like in Waingawa. But it’s certainly a good idea.”

Local Democracy Reporting is a public interest news service supported by RNZ, the Association of News Publishers, and NZ On Air.