Jonathan Leask/LDR
Harvey’s Bakehouse co-owner Emma Halliday and Canterbury Motorcycle’s and Kawasaki Canterbury Ltd owner Clint Collett have been frustrated by ongoing roadworks in Rakaia, but are celebrating a “small win” of retaining some car parks.
Roadworks for a controversial weigh bridge are costing one business up to $1500 a day, its owner says.
Business at Harvey’s Bakehouse is reportedly down $1500 a day with no parking available along State Highway 1, as work continues for a fifth week installing in-road weigh scales in the northbound lane, associated with the new commercial vehicle safety centre north of the Rakaia bridge.
Bakery co-owner Emma Halliday said the access issue was putting customers off stopping in.
There was also no parking for truckies who “aren’t all of our business, but they are a big chunk”.
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The no-parking situation was set to continue once the roadworks were completed, but after a series of meetings with Waka Kotahi staff, 25m of parking will now be retained.
“We are getting half of the car parks back, which is better than nothing,” she said.
Waka Kotahi regional relationships director James Caygill said staff recently met with the businesses in Rakaia to “ensure we fully understood their concerns and how we could improve the situation for the people most affected by the roadworks”.
Halliday said adding to the frustration was that they were not consulted about the work before it started and had not been consulted since the original plans two years ago until they got a letter in January announcing work was set to begin.
“We didn’t even realise they were taking away the parking until the concrete kerb went up.”
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Collett is frustrated with a lack of consultation from Waka Kotahi about the current roadworks affecting access to his, and other businesses, on State Highway 1.
Next door to the bakery is Canterbury Motorcycles and Kawasaki Canterbury Ltd, whose owner, Clint Collett, was pleased to get the “small win” in retaining some parking.
Collet believed a lot of time and money could have been saved if the conversations they had with Waka Kotahi in recent weeks had happened before the work started.
Businesses were told the work would be completed by mid-March, but Collet said there was no sign they were close to finishing.
“It’s just not going to happen, not at this rate.”
With the Bakehouse missing out on $1500 a day, the longer it goes on the bigger the impact.
“Once the works are over, and when we get those car parks back, things should pick up again,” Halliday said.
Jonathan Leask/LDR
Halliday says the roadworks are putting motorists off from stopping at her bakery.
Caygill said the work on the highway, requiring major traffic management, was due to be completed by the end of next week with other work continuing in the shoulder to the north.
“In June and July the crew will be back to install the scales in the highway, taking place over a couple of nights.”
Halliday said it was a temporary frustration but they were among many more concerned with what they believed was the safety risk of the weigh station being placed between the two bridges.
“I strongly believe there is going to be serious crashes and someone is going to end up dying with it going there,” she said.
“Going between the bridges is a crash waiting to happen.”
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