Have your say on the Links Ave road closure trial. Take part in the Online Petition below. Click direct to Survey.
First priority is safety for the children, second priority is amenity for the residents and community. To do this, the bus lane must be removed.
24 May 2022 LINKS Ave closure trial debacle continues..
22 April – Another Petition presented to Tauranga Council by Matt Nicholson with a 5600 signed petition. Again shut down by Commissioner Tolley. Comment from Commissioner Tolley on the trial (from the Sunlive media report) below.
“Behaviour change” – please explain this statement. Does it mean the following.
· Increased congestion on Oceanbeach Rd
· More revenue for Tauranga City Council from fines
· Fines or Food – choice for some residents
· More pollution from slow moving vehicles
· Old people in Links Ave who are not visited by friends – too scared of a fine.
· Much longer travel times
· More bus violence
· Increased inconvenience for residents –
29 November 2021 . PRRA (Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association) sends to Tauranga City Council a Petition asking for the Trial Closure of Links Ave to stop within 48 hours of receiving the Petition Notice. Read more >>>
Did you know the school arrivals/departures are approx 6.5% of the time and TCC closes the road for 100% of the time. Read more>>>>
How many people use the buses down Links Ave? Read the report from 17 December Hint — 21 in the morning peak is the answer.
The answer is to move the bus lanes from Links Ave to bus lanes on the B2B from Baypark to Hewletts Rd. Read more >>
The trail closure has been put into place and should end on 17 December..
What do you think closing Links Ave? Enjoying the gridlock?? One of TCC's brilliant ideas!!! Tell Brendan Bisley, Director of Transport at Tauranga Council what you think. 07-577 7000 or brendan.bisley@tauranga.govt.nz . Or phone direct to 027 236 3937 He made the decision to close Links Ave without fully consulting the users.
Over 1500 people have participated in the online petition. The comments and feedback have been sent to Brendan Bisley and the stupid closure continued. The petition needs more participants, please tell your friends.
In April 2021, the residents were promised consultation before any changes took place. Again no consultation and TCC is again ignoring the residents and just presenting a bad solution as a trial.
An independent safety review, commissioned by the council, confirmed there was "tangible risk" to pedestrians and cyclists as students using the shared path often overflowed onto the road, which had very little buffer space between the path edge and traffic lane. Links Ave had an "unacceptable margin for error", the Mackie Research and Colin Brodie review stated.
"There have been reports of cyclists having near-misses with buses and on our site visits we witnessed behaviour that could be very risky if a bus or other vehicle happened to be passing," the review stated.
The review recommended the council consider reverting Links Ave to two-lane traffic despite acknowledging this would disadvantage general or bus traffic, but "safe active school travel should be prioritised".
Director of Transport from Tauranga City Council Brendan Bisley justified the trial, saying reducing traffic on Links Ave was "significantly the best option to improve safety". Is this man the most “anti-car anti-resident” employee of Tauranga City Council!!!!!
From BOP Times report 14 April 2021
“Commissioner Tolley told council staff she was particularly concerned about the swift speed at which buses travelled along the bus lane. "They whip down that lane ... right next to young people on scooters, doing all sorts of things young people do."
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The solution is probably very simple and can be multi-layered if required
1. Reduce bus speeds to 15km/hr (or even 10km/hr) through Links Ave. Negligible effect on travel times. Much less chance of a wayward incident.
2. Build wider footpaths and cycle lanes on the eastern side of Links Ave.
3. Fence both sides of the road along the kerb line.
These solutions will provide the best safe scenario for Links Ave.
There is no need to cul de sac Links Ave, go through an expensive trial and heap difficulty on the local residents and the commuters of Papamoa and Mt Maunganui.
Make all buses except the local service use the B2B/Maunganui Rd once it is complete. Create HOV/express buslanes. Click here for details
For more information email dontcloselinksave@gmail.com
We need your views on this debacle. Sign the online petition below & then send a form letter to the Commissioner saying Stop the Closure
Stop Closure of Links Ave
This online petition has been organised by the residents of Links Ave working in conjunction with Tauranga Ratepayers Alliance TRA, Papamoa Residents & Ratepayers Association PRRA, and Mt Maunganui Residents Association MRRA.
The closing of Links Ave will inconvenience residents of all these communities.
Proposed Solution sent to TCC NZTA and BOPRC
Copy of letter sent to Brendan Bisley TCC including comments etc from survey. Good reading in the comments. Sent 12 Nov 2021. Received reply from Brendan.
FULL SURVEY RESULT of Online Survey . Click here
Links Ave Timeline , Letters, Presentations.
