A petition supporting a refuge on Rocks Rd has been handed to Nelson City councillors at the same time they debate another crossing less than a kilometre away.
At a council meeting last Thursday Addo Mulders Snr spoke to the councillors about the need for a refuge in the middle of Rocks Rd. He says people often park in the Basin Reserve and have to “run the gauntlet” to try to get to the other side in heavy traffic. The petition was organised by a Neighbourhood Support group in the area and had 101 signatures on it. Addo says he wants the councillors to negotiate with the owners of the road – New Zealand Transport Agency – for the refuge, similar to the one further down the road at Wakefield Quay.
At the same meeting residents further along Rocks Rd, towards Tahuna, told councillors that plans for a refuge there should be scrapped.
They urged the councillors to reconsider their support of the project, saying the loss of 13 car parks would stop some people from swimming and fishing at a popular spot.
Addo told the Nelson Weekly they were two separate issues and he hoped the council would consider the petition and “make the road safer for local people and tourists”.
