Queenstown Lakes District Council's bid to cut gridlock in the centre of the resort by creating a multimillion-dollar bypass was cautiously pushed along by a subcommittee yesterday.
The Strategy Committee adopted as the preferred route for the Melbourne St to One Mile roundabout bypass the route of Melbourne St leading to Henry St, a direct Henry to Man St link, then on to Thompson St.
Or the other option was Melbourne and Henry Sts leading to a Boundary St link, with a Camp St connection to Man St, Thompson St and the roundabout.
The Gorge-Boundary option was costed at $61.6 million while the direct option would cost $72.6 million.
Members recommended QLDC act to "manage and minimise traffic growth through its transport and town centre strategies as a priority".
It was recommended the council start the scheme assessment for the first two stages of the bypass.
The assessment would complement the town centre strategy outcomes and encompass the Melbourne-Henry St link as either stage one or as a potential stand-alone project.
The direct option and the Boundary St option would be part of stage two.
The treatment of Stanley St and the identification of bus routes, priority measures, bus stop locations, plus pedestrian and cycle linkages and networks would be tackled by the scheme assessment.
The committee recommended the council start a risk assessment of stage three of the bypass, including the Camp St connection and the Thompson St split-level options.
It was also recommended QLDC develop guidelines to help the utilities committee consider council's contribution to high-quality passenger transport services, a central area travel plan, increased central area parking charges and pedestrian and cycle networks.
Finally, it was recommended the town centre strategy go by the Inner Links study when addressing transport issues.
The recommendations were tabled by Councillor Cath Gilmour.
Transportation planning manager Denis Mander said a scheme assessment was the next step in the project. This would determine land acquisitions and identify Government funds QLDC was likely to get.
The assessment would use the latest revised population growth projections, which influenced traffic demand projections.
The committee heard there were 21,000 vehicles on Stanley St per day. The Melbourne-Henry St link would take 16,000 of those vehicles once constructed. Stanley St could have a bus priority lane and be freed to become a more pedestrian-friendly amenity.
Cr Lyall Cocks asked if a one-way system had been looked at to ease congestion, suggesting Hallenstein St might be a possibility.
Mr Mander said one-ways were not favoured because of the additional distances needed to be travelled and because they encouraged traffic to move faster.
"Hallenstein St was discarded early on because of its narrow width and number of corners, and it already has some of the function [of a bypass]," Mr Mander said.
The street was also one block further away from the CBD and less attractive to motorists.
Chairwoman Gillian Macleod said $72 million would be better spent on public transport than on "uncertain land purchases".
However, Cr Lex Perkins questioned how it was possible to consider public transport when Stanley St was gridlocked.
Chief executive Duncan Field urged committee members to consider beyond the model horizon of 2026, by which time developers may have applied to build on land that would be needed to complete the bypass to One Mile roundabout.
Designation under the Resource Management Act was one way to proceed with the route in the future, although it could lead to compulsory land purchases by the council.
