Loss of roadside parking is a price worth paying to provide a safe entrance to Mosgiel’s new pool, Dunedin councillors say.
Parking will make way for changes at the Gordon Rd and Eden St intersection that include introduction of traffic lights and a right-hand turning lane for pool access.
The Dunedin City Council this week approved a list of adjustments affecting parking, including the loss of 24 car parks near the Mosgiel pool, although those parks have been described as unmarked spaces and not in heavy demand.
Cr Jim O’Malley said parks had to be lost to create a right-hand turning lane from Gordon Rd and adequate sight lines for motorists.
That was driven by engineering needs, he said.
The pool is under construction and it is expected to be well visited when it opens in mid-2023.
Cr Sophie Barker said "parks that aren’t really parks", or bits of road reserve, would be removed.
"We are going to create an amazing community asset and we have to make sure there is safe access to it."
Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said the council was "investing significantly in what will be a magnificent community asset".
"We need people to be able to access that safely," he said.
"The sacrifice is road reserve some people have used to put a car on, but not to any huge degree."
Planned changes outside the Mosgiel pool have been the subject of some contention.
Doubt has been raised about the wisdom of having traffic lights near the Silver Stream bridge, but warning lights would alert motorists to the intersection ahead.
The Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board wanted the intersection design work stopped and some board members were uncomfortable about what they viewed as insufficient community consultation.
Mr Hawkins was unmoved.
"When it comes to road safety — and we have an obligation to make sure that people can access this facility safely — I will take the expertise of our transport engineers over the expertise of the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board any day of the week."
Cr Steve Walker highlighted letter drops to nearby residents.
Cr Carmen Houlahan, the council’s representative on the community board, voted against the parking changes.
Crs Lee Vandervis and Jules Radich also voted against.
Cr Houlahan said some people in the community wanted the pool’s entry to be from Reid Ave.
The council has said a Reid Ave entry would have resulted in loss of valuable green space and it would have created conflicts between traffic and people using sports fields.
Cr Andrew Whiley, the council’s regulatory subcommittee chairman, said not many vehicles were parked on the road reserve on occasions when he visited.
Cr Mike Lord said the traffic lights would sometimes be inconvenient for people, but he did not believe they would create a safety problem.
The package of changes in Dunedin and Mosgiel would result in a net loss of 29 car parks overall and Cr Radich voted against it for that reason.
Cr Rachel Elder, a former bus driver, was pleased about changes to bus-stop entry and exit tapers, which would make it easier for bus drivers to get closer to the kerb.
That would help people with mobility issues, she said.
Cr Elder also supported work designed to enhance safety near schools and changing parking restriction times in Dowling St, central Dunedin.
