Some North End business owners are angry they will lose car parks to new pedestrian crossing lights, despite extensive consultation on the design.
On Thursday they saw engineers from Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) outside their shops checking plans and how best to install the lights, due to be completed by June.
Tim Arthur, from Arthur's Antiques, along with others, spoke to them and looked at the plans, which had extended traffic islands (kerb protrusions) on each side of the road at the crossing points, reducing the number of on-street car parks.
''We were originally told those islands were needed for the light controls, but the control box is on the footpath,'' he said. They saw no need now for the loss of two car parks.
However, the New Zealand Transport Agency, which is installing the lights on that part of State Highway 1, said the controls were the actual lights themselves and the major factor was safety.
The agency's senior safety engineer Roy Johnston said vehicles parked right up to the kerb protrusion would potentially hamper the ability of approaching drivers to see pedestrians and for pedestrians about to cross to see approaching traffic.
''In addition to the signals, there is a control box which is normally positioned on the adjacent footpath. This wasn't shown on the consultation plan as this was deemed minor and had no impact on the footpath or parking,'' he said.
Mr Arthur and other business owners plan to call an urgent meeting with the agency, Waitaki branch of the Otago Chamber of Commerce, North Otago Automobile Association and Waitaki MP to get the matter sorted before work starts.
They wanted to be treated the same as businesses in central Oamaru, where parking went right up to the traffic lights.
''There is no justification to take out the parking (in the North End). Some of us have never believed lights are needed. It is a speed issue,'' he said.
Mr Johnston said the MWH engineers on Thursday were looking at the feasibility of thrust boring across the road rather than trenching to reduce disruption for businesses.
In central Oamaru, the kerb protrusions were sized to ensure vehicles were parked the required distance from the signals to avoid interfering with visibility.
The traffic islands in the North End were designed to ensure the signals were visible to approaching traffic, pedestrians crossing could see vehicles that might not be stopping for the signals and to meet design and safety standards.
