Compromise over road change row

Press, 31 March 1981, Page 6

Compromise over road change row

Arguments about turning Lakewood Drive into a cul-de-sac may have been temporarily quietened by the Waimairi County Council’s works and traffic committee.

At a meeting of the committee last evening, attended by about 50 residents of Lakewood Drive and neighbouring streets,' submissions were made by those who were opposed to closing the street. They included 25 residents of Stillwater Avenue and Fenmore Place who sent in a petition opposing the closing.

Correspondence to the council from people in the vicinity showed that 83 supported and 75 opposed the closing of Lakewood Drive. “We have opened a can of worms and cannot close it again satisfactorily,” said the county engineer, Mr A. J, W. Lamb. “Whatever we do we are bound to upset someone.”

The committee chairman, Cr I. G. Clark, said that the community was divided and any decision was going to upset half of the residents.

Mr G. A. Jeffreys, representing residents of some of the streets off Lakewood Drive, told councillors that the drive should remain open until the proposed N o r the o t e-Burwood expressway was built.

“I do not see why we should have to travel skm on a round-about route to

the shops, a route that, with the road open, is only 2km."

Mr G. P. Parker of Lake Terrace Road and a representative of the Lakewood Drive Residents’ Committee, said he wanted Lakewood Drive to remain open. People buying houses in the area in the last few years had been told the drive would remain open until the expressway was built and that was not expected to be until 1985, at the earliest. The Lakewood Drive Residents’ Committee- would make verbal submissions later.

The works and traffic committee decided to adopt recommendations from the county engineer that - were seen as “a compromise solution.”

These included painting a white line along the middle of Lakewood Drive and putting in “traffic resistance devices” such as roundabouts, to slow down the flow of traffic.

The committee approved the recommendations in principle and the estimates of the proposal will be produced at the next committee meeting.

Mr D. B. Rich said he thought the “traffic resistance devices” might be even more hazardous than the existing routeThe committee agreed to ask for reconsideration of priority on the expressway construction.