New plans to upgrade Riccarton Rd received a frosty reception from parts of the audience at a public meeting in Mosgiel last night.
About 20 members of the public gathered at Mosgiel's Coronation Hall to hear Dunedin City Council staff and Cr Andrew Noone - chairman of the council's infrastructure services committee - explain the plans in detail.
The work would see one of two options for the road's upgrade pursued, beginning in 2012-13 and taking up to 10 years to complete in stages, council projects engineer Evan Matheson said.
The cheaper Option A - costing $1.8 million - would see the road widened to 6.5m, with two 1m-wide sealed shoulders at either side, along a 4.2km section from Gladstone Rd to State Highway 87.
The more expensive Option B - costing $2.6 million - would see the road widened to 7m, with two 1.5m-wide shoulders. Both options aimed to improve safety by creating more room for cyclists and other road users negotiating traffic using the existing narrow carriageway, he said.
Option A would be paid for from existing council budgets, while Option B would require the purchase of private land from Riccarton Rd residents, as well as additional council funding, Mr Matheson said.
The work would be in addition to minor intersection improvements taking place in the area over the next few weeks, at a cost of about $50,000, he said.
The presentation was the latest step in the saga over the future of Riccarton Rd, and came after the council scrapped plans for a $7.8 million upgrade last year. Several members of the audience supported Option B, and indicated they would be prepared to discuss selling land to the council for the work.
Resident Tom Craig said he feared for the safety of children using the edge of road and urged the council to work quickly.
"It's dangerous. It's already killed people."
Another man agreed the road was too narrow, saying heavy trucks regularly straddled the centre line while using the road.
Others were less than impressed, and the meeting became heated as council staff were accused of "lying" and trying to turn Riccarton Rd into a de facto heavy traffic bypass.
"There's no problem with Riccarton Rd. It's what you people are trying to do with Riccarton Rd," Riccarton Rd West Safety Society chairman Brian Miller told council staff at the meeting.
Cr Noone denied this, saying the growing traffic on the road reflected the area's increasing population, and council city environment general manager Tony Avery said there was no intent to direct traffic on to Riccarton Rd.
Mr Matheson said last night's consultation would form part of a report to councillors in four to six weeks, which would recommend a preferred option.
