Petitioner: Close Bridge To Show It’s Importance

Tuesday, 27 May 2025, 7:56 pm
Article: Diane McCarthy - Local Democracy Reporter

Raewyn Kingsley-Smith would like to close the Landing Road Bridge in Whakatāne for three hours to give people a taste of what life would be like if a natural disaster put it out of use.

She feels it would create a good rallying point to encourage people to sign the petition to support Mayor Victor Luca’s proposal for a second river crossing for Whakatāne.

“I would like Whakatāne District Council to close the bridge to traffic and invite the entire town to walk across it, sign a petition set up on trestles on the other side, then walk back to their cars,” Ms Kingley-Smith said.

“Folk could gather at the Whakatāne Rowing Club prior to crossing time – it might take an hour or two. I would like to stop traffic from 9am to midday.

“I can hear the outcry already,” she said. “Which is, of course, the response I want from our community.”

However, while she would love to lead such an exercise, she urges the community not to panic.

“Don’t worry. I don’t think our council would dare do it and would probably say it can’t.”

As the Landing Road Bridge is part of State Highway 2, which comes under the management of New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi, she is likely to be correct.

This is the second petition Ms Kingsley-Smith has organised in regard to the bridge.

When the Whakatāne council proposed spending over $100 million on new sports facilities for the town, she rallied over 300 residents to sign a petition over a couple of hours outside the council chambers asking they spend the money on a new bridge instead.

She said closing the bridge for even a short time would “demonstrate how vital the bridge is, day to day, how reliant we are already on this overused bridge, and what happens when we lose it”.

“Traffic diverted to Pekatahi Bridge would find it a long detour to get to the other side of the river. Pekatahi is destined to remain a one-lane bridge, so the queue would be huge.”

She recalls two previous times Landing Road Bridge has been closed. Major flooding in 1983 caused damage to the piers resulting in them having to be reinforced and the Edgecumbe earthquake in 1987 also saw the bridge being closed.

Since those occasions, Whakatāne’s population and traffic volumes have grown.

“I’m sure that before too long our town bridge is going to need to be closed for maintenance and we will get a taste of just how overused it is and how much we all rely on it.

“To avoid traffic jams in an emergency, we may well be asked or told to leave our cars at home and head for the hills on foot if we are able, and have time."

Besides earthquakes, weather bombs as experienced in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay recently, tidal waves and floods, another concern she has is if the wind blew toward town when White Island was erupting.

“We would be in big trouble. One bridge just won’t cut it. A temporary closure such as this would bring home to residents and authorities how essential a second bridge is.”

Ms Kingsley-Smith feels a second river crossing should be at the southern end of town (Arawa Road) to cater for traffic from Rotorua, Kawerau, Awakeri, Matatā, to relieve the pressure that is building even in today’s traffic flows.

Ms Kingley-Smith is among those who are organising a petition to support Dr Luca’s second bridge proposal. She expects it to be available for people to sign next week, and if her plans for bridge closure fail, she said petition organisers planned to set up stalls outside supermarkets and have it available to sign at businesses in town, including the Beacon.

“We, a community of concerned residents need to come out in full strength to support Mayor Victor Luca’s report and alert the Government Minister and Waka Kotahi that Whakatāne township needs a second bridge,” Ms Kingsley-Smith said.

“And Pekatahi Bridge is not it.”

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