New Zealand's biggest town without traffic lights: Blenheim

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Blenheim Mayor Alistair Sowman says his town won't be getting traffic lights anytime soon.

It's the sunshine capital of New Zealand, and now Blenheim may be able to lay claim to another title.

Marlborough's main centre could be the largest town without traffic lights left in the country.

Blenheim won't be giving the green light to these in a hurry, with its three town-centre roundabouts working just fine.

It follows the news that Pukekohe, the rural services centre of 22,000 in Auckland's south, is reluctantly getting its first set of lights.

Blenheim, with a town population of 24,000, is slightly larger.

Masterton took out its traffic lights years ago, Mayor Lyn Patterson says.

**READ MORE

* [Pukekohe to get its first traffic lights

Whakatane is known for its roundabouts which work just fine, the mayor says.

](http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/76000997/pukekohe-to-join-the-rest-of-auckland-and-get-traffic-lights)* Green light for Pukekohe transport projects**

However, there are 47,000 people living in the greater Pukekohe area, while the population of the Marlborough district is almost 45,000, with about 30,000 in the Blenheim urban area.

After months of investigation, Auckland transport officials have concluded that there is no other way to get buses and commuter traffic safely in and out of Pukekohe's soon-to-be upgraded train station without lights.

Debate around the issue has split the town.

Marlborough Roads manager Frank Porter says Blenheim doesn't get traffic congestion.

'The section of State Highway 1 through the town has three roundabouts and they're all working really well still.

'There hasn't been great traffic growth in the last 10 years.'

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman says there won't be traffic signals on his patch 'anytime soon'.

'The council has looked at it over the years, whether traffic lights would be of any assistance,' he said.

'A lot of people were up in arms and said 'no, we don't need them'.

'I don't mind being known as the town with no traffic lights.'

Meanwhile, Masterton is giving Blenheim a run for its money in the light-free stakes.

The Wairarapa town of 24,000 used to have traffic signals but they were taken out 27 years ago, Mayor Lyn Patterson said.

It has roundabouts, which work fine.

'When people get used to using roundabouts they do, the traffic moves quickly,' Patterson said.

There could be some congestion at peak times, but nobody had ever suggested lights were needed, she said.

'I suspect the reaction would be like the residents of Pukekohe,' she said.

'If it's not broken why try and fix it.'

In likely third place is Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty.

The town of 18,000, including the beach settlement of Ohope, did have one set of traffic lights when he was a boy, Mayor Tony Bonne said.

After the second or third time the lights were knocked out by an errant motorist the council decided not to replace them, he said.

'As we've grown we don't need traffic lights.

'We have some challenges at some intersections… (but) we're known for our roundabouts and that does seem to keep the traffic flowing.'

Any brief moments of congestion were a welcome sign.

'We're excited about congestion because it shows our community is growing,' Bonne said.