NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will proceed with the four-laning of a section of Timaru’s Evans Street/SH1 and associated removal of on-street parking, following public consultation and feedback.

“After careful consideration of all the feedback received, we have decided to proceed with the removal of on-street parking to allow for the four-laning of this section of Evans Street,” says Ian Duncan, Acting Director Regional Relationships for NZTA.

“This decision has not been made lightly, and we understand that this was not the outcome many residents and businesses in Evans Street wanted. However, this change is necessary to improve traffic flow for all road users and the wider community.”

Mr Duncan noted the four-laning is not a new concept for SH1 through Timaru - other sections of four-laning are already in place along Evans Street/SH1, as part of a joint Timaru District Council/ NZTA strategy since 2007. Timaru District Council continues to support this strategy. “Given one side of this section of SH1 is already four-laned, and the other side is three-laned, this change will reduce the domino effect from the merging to one lane then reverting back to two lanes again, leading to a smoother more efficient traffic flow.”

The opportunity to expand from two to four lanes on SH1 through Timaru every ten years or so when sections of highway are being resealed is the ideal time to make these changes, he said. The four-laning also aligns with the government’s strategic priorities of economic growth, increased maintenance and resilience, and safety, on this section of highway which also services the Port of Timaru.

Where exactly?

On the southbound side of Evans St, the new dual lanes will extend to north of Te Weka St, joining with the existing dual lanes south of Wai-iti Road, easing a bottleneck for drivers. On the northbound side of Evans St, the dual lanes will extend north from Beverley Road to merge into one lane prior to the bus stop, just before Trafalgar St. This will require no-stopping lines from the Comfort Hotel to the Coast Motel on Evans St.

The feedback

Many of the residents in this area of Evans Street were against the changes as were people providing services to the area, while a smaller number of residents were in support or remained neutral on the changes. Other road users and transport organisations tended to be in favour of the changes. The main concerns raised in the feedback were safety when entering and exiting driveways, the impact on visitors, tradespeople and emergency services, pedestrian safety and potential effects on property values.

For most affected properties, off-street parking is available, and vehicles can be turned around within the property boundary. Where access and manoeuvrability are issues, NZTA can look at access changes on a case-by-case basis, where possible.

The road marking changes will be made early in the week starting 7 April as long as the weather is dry. Once the road marking is in place, with yellow no-stopping lines, drivers will legally no longer be able to stop in the live traffic lanes and/or on the yellow lines.

Traffic signals synching

NZTA’s signals team has been reviewing the Evans St/ SH1 traffic signals over a number of days, at traffic peaks and ebbs to see if there are ways they could be improved to avoid delays on the state highway. At this stage, the phasing will remain as it is as any further changes will have more significant roll-on effects on local road access, says Mr Duncan. The team is continuing to monitor the situation leading into and after the four-laning goes in place regardless.

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