New crossing on Tharwa Drive

I saw some kids using it the other day – They pressed the button (with their feet), and simply ran across – A minute or so later, traffic stopped for no reason at all….

tvf said :

Except that they placed it right next to the very busy roundabout. Expect lots of accidents as the roundabout grinds to a halt for the pedestrians. Shame there is an underpass only 100m down the road. Someone wasn’t thinking here.

I too wondered why they where putting in traffic lights with an underpass no more than 100 meters down the road… I can already foresee the problems which those lights will cause at that roundabout… On entering it from any direction a person will need to not only be paying attention to the roundabout, but also to the traffic lights as if they turn red whilst a car is planning to head down towards Tharwa is already on the roundabout I can see that roundabout will come to an unexpected standstill.

It doesn’t look to have been terribly well thought out. Surely they could use the underpass already provided. If they are hot-footing it to the shops then they would probably be able-bodied enought to divert another 30 metres to the underpass.

I expect the person who designed this, also designed the roads around the Nishi building where cars now cut across three lanes of traffic to make an illegal left turn into Hales street rather then go the ‘long’ way round (I think it’s Hales street anyway).

Yep – this is a disaster in the making, unless the wrinklies decide that hangin’ with the Lanyon High School homies outside the shopping centre might not be so much fun after all.
A pedestrian crossing within 50 metres of a roundabout, where drivers are also merging from 2 lanes to 1 is not a sound decision. I am sure the east west flow of traffic will be improved by the traffic banking up through the roundabout – right!

Stupidity. I guess they were looking for a set of traffic lights to distract from their last great stuff up down this end of town, being a solitary set at the Drakeford Roundabout which do sweet stuff all.

Except that they placed it right next to the very busy roundabout. Expect lots of accidents as the roundabout grinds to a halt for the pedestrians. Shame there is an underpass only 100m down the road. Someone wasn’t thinking here.