A local resident is leading the fight against proposed changes to Welcome Bay Rd.

Tauranga City Council has proposed adding traffic lights to the Welcome Bay Rd and Kaitemako Rd intersection.

It also wants to introduce a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane to Welcome Bay Rd for vehicles with more than one person.

Welcome Bay resident Robert Coe believed the $2.55 million plans were a “waste of money”.

These are two aspects of a bigger project titled Keep Tauranga moving, involving improvements to Fraser St, Ohauiti Rd, Chadwick Rd and Avenues 14 to 16.

The project has a $5.5m budget.

Coe has started a petition which as of yesterday had 545 signatures. He will present it at the next council meeting discussing the topic.

The Welcome Bay Rd and Kaitemako Rd intersection. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

He said the council held two public meetings late last year and residents voiced strong opposition to the proposed upgrades.

“One major safety concern raised was regarding the proposed removal of the flush median, which would mean vehicles turning into driveways across Welcome Bay Rd would have to stop in a live traffic lane.”

However, council staff, on March 31, recommended proceeding with the proposed works and elected members voted for it on the condition that further community consultation would occur before work started.

He said two further community meetings had been held to discuss the Annual Plan and residents expressed strong opposition to the proposed works.

He said they were told further community consultation would occur in August to determine the final design.

“The intention of this petition is to provide a voice for community members who are unable to attend.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand acting district commander Scott Bell said crews often safely used the centre median barrier if the traffic had slowed or stopped.

“If this option is not available, response times would be similar to other streets in the area that do not have this option available.”

He said as the proposed upgrades were to speed up commute times, FENZ supported the overall goal of safer and more efficient roading networks.

Hato Hone St John Western Bay of Plenty area operations manager Mat Delaney said the organisation did not anticipate the changes would have a significant impact on emergency responses.

Hato Hone St John Western Bay of Plenty area operations manager Mat Delaney. Photo / Hato Hone St John

The proposed High Occupancy Vehicle lane was expected to provide an additional corridor to help maintain efficient access through the area, particularly during peak traffic congestion, he said.

Western Bay of Plenty Inspector Zane Smith. Photo / George Novak

Western Bay of Plenty acting area commander Inspector Zane Smith said roading projects were often designed to improve safety and accessibility.

“We work constructively with councils to help ensure those benefits can be achieved while maintaining our ability to respond effectively when people need us.”

Welcome Bay Rd flush median. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

Tauranga City Council transport systems operations manager Shawn Geard said he acknowledged the concerns some residents had about the intersection and High Occupancy Vehicle lane.

“The proposed improvements are part of a wider programme of key transport route upgrades designed to keep Tauranga moving while several major transport projects are under construction over the next few years, including the Fifteenth Avenue to Welcome Bay upgrade.

“Tauranga’s transport network is already operating close to capacity and has limited ability to absorb additional disruption.”

He said the recent disruption experienced during the Oropi Rd slip repair was a good example.

“Without intervention, we believe congestion, unreliable travel times and safety risks will increase.”

Welcome Bay Link Rd. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

He said the Welcome Bay Rd proposal aimed to make better use of current roading space.

The project included a westbound High Occupancy Vehicle lane to encourage carpooling and support more reliable bus services.

Cameras were proposed to support enforcement of the lane at a cost of about $600,000.

He said the cameras used infrared vision and artificial intelligence computer vision to photograph the car’s interior to count passengers while blurring out personal features.

This was to ensure privacy was protected.

He said there would be traffic signals at the Welcome Bay Rd/ Kaitemako Rd intersection to improve safety for turning vehicles and pedestrians and help better manage traffic flows during periods of congestion.

“Welcome Bay residents have asked [the] council for additional crossing opportunities in the area.”

Shared path improvements for walkers and cyclists were also part of the plan.

“Community feedback on the proposal in late 2025 was mixed.”

He said there was support for both elements among survey respondents who regularly use or would consider using Welcome Bay Rd.

He said 51%, or 84 of 166, supported the proposed lane and 56% or 80 of 143 supported installing traffic signals at the Kaitemako Rd intersection.

“Council’s Keep Tauranga Moving engagement found support for measures aimed at improving network efficiency during major construction projects, with 50% of respondents supporting some form of HOV lanes and only 15% opposing all the congestion-reduction initiatives presented.”

He said more than 470 people completed the survey and the council held drop-in sessions and stakeholder workshops.

He said the community would have another opportunity later this year to give feedback on the early design of the proposed lane and traffic signals.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.