Waikato Expressway looking south towards the Victoria off ramp.
Ongoing issues for Cambridge users of the Waikato Expressway, including the fire brigade, need ironing out so the next part of the design is fit for purpose, Taupō MP Louise Upston says.
Louise Upston
She was responding to comments from Cambridge Fire Chief Dennis Hunt who said access to the Expressway has become a nightmare for the volunteer fire fighters.
He told The News he and his predecessor the late Don Gerrand had spoken to New Zealand Transport Authority (Waka Kotahi) representatives about the merits of having a northern on ramp at the end of Tirau Road near the golf course.
Having that ramp would make a huge difference for the brigade when there are call outs on the Expressway, he said.
Dennis Hunt
Knowing which part of the Expressway they were being called to was often an issue.
“We don’t know whether to go up the Expressway to the north or south when we get an emergency call.”
If they go north from Hautapu and the call out was to the south, the earliest they could turn around was at the Tamahere interchange. If they went south and it was north, they do a U-turn at the southern end of the Expressway.
“No one ever slows down for us.”
Upston said if the council and Waka Kotahi were working together, they would understand the issues Cambridge users were facing and not repeat the same mistakes.
“I do think there has been a history of Waka Kotahi not paying attention to people who deal with this road on a daily basis.”
That’s where the council’s transport planners should be working in tandem with Waka Kotahi “otherwise we don’t have solutions that are fit for purpose for the community.”
The community’s expectation was that was happening, she said, when it was clear it was not.
Waka Kotahi’s Infrastructure Delivery regional manager Jo Wilton said a northern on ramp was never part of the Expressway plans.
“There would be relatively low traffic movements on these suggested ramps and motorists wanting to travel in these directions have other options. The Victoria Road interchange provides both northbound and southbound connections to the Cambridge township, some five minutes from this point,” she said.
Peak time just after 5pm at the southern end of the Waikato Expressway – while Cambridge is congested.
There were no plans to provide additional access points.
If Expressway users need emergency services, people should refer to landmarks, such as bridges, to assist operators, said Wilton.
Upston and National Party leader Christopher Luxon are hosting a public meeting in the Cambridge Town Hall next Monday. The Expressway, population growth, a third bridge and transport woes are expected to be raised by the community who feel left out of the consultation.
“You can’t do long term planning without consultation and you can’t do that without the community,” said Upston.
