Council: 10-15 years of congestion ahead on Tauranga's roads

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Traffic queueing in Takitimu Drive in Tauranga.

Tauranga City Council has admitted there is “10-15 years” of congestion ahead for road users as the Bay of Plenty comes to terms with its growing population.

Council said congestion across Tauranga, including suburbs such as Mt Maunganui, Greerton and Pāpāmoa, had increased as the authorities attempt to build capacity to cope with demand.

Speaking to the BuzzWorthy podcast, Tauranga City Council transport director Brendan Bisley said despite about $1.2 billion being invested in the region’s roading infrastructure, council simply could not “build their way out” of congestion.

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A social media post warned of “at least 20 cars with blown tyres and rims” due to road conditions on the Kaimai Ranges, between Waikato to Tauranga. (This video was first published on September 30, 2022.)

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“One of the reasons you are seeing so much activity on the roading network is because we are doing a 20-year programme of work to try and build capacity back in,” he said.

“Sadly for a lot of ratepayers, there is 10-15 years of congestion on the roading network and a lot of construction activity, but there is no way of getting that improvement unless we do those roadworks.

“We can’t build our way out of congestion – we can’t keep widening roads or purchasing houses.”

Bisley admitted council looked into the possibility of purchasing houses on a block of Cameron Rd for widening purposes but the cost of about $50 million put them off. “That is just not economically feasible,” he said.

Tauranga City Council transport director Brendan Bisley.

Ongoing works in Cameron Rd – one of the city’s main routes – are due to conclude at the end of 2023, while current work in Maunganui Rd in downtown Mt Maunganui will be suspended ahead of the summer season before resuming next winter.

“The last big investment in the transport network was probably 25 years ago and 25 years ago the population was half of what it is now,” added Bisley.

“At the time there was heaps of capacity. It was not really an issue and trips took 10-15 minutes.

“But as the population has built up, there is no capacity left. That is why just a small accident in Hewletts Rd [in Mt Maunganui] or something on the Kaimai Range [on State Highway 29] can see everything jam up.”

Bisley also pointed to a “constrained” construction industry in relation to the city’s congestion issues, and would like to see 10-15 per cent of the city’s population move away from using cars over the coming years.

“We have got a very large programme of work heading forward,” he said. “Those works are designed to unlock the congestion but we are asking how we provide better free flow and keep the city working.

“Mode shift is quite emotive for a lot of people but we are only talking about 10-15 per cent of the population. We realise that for a lot of people, a private vehicle is their only way of getting around.”

Bisley claimed traffic around Tauranga “flows pretty well” during the school holidays. “Most people find it relatively easy to get around,” he said.

“The difference between school holiday traffic and normal traffic is only 10 per cent, so it is a really small proportion that makes a massive difference.

“That is why we are targeting 10-15 per cent of those that have a choice [to bike, bus or use a car].

“If we can get them on to a different mode [of transport], the other 85-90 per cent have significantly less congestion and the city moves a lot better.”