Businesses on Cameron Road tell me that their patronage has fallen off drastically because there is no longer anywhere for customers to park for a quick nip in to buy something or collect a meal, or to pick up the purchase they have made by phone or online. The chaotic 'development” of Cameron Rd is simply destroying the many businesses, large and small, which depend on access to short-term parking.

The Tauranga Commissioners should try and visit any shop to know what harm the lack of parking is doing.

Arguably even worse, there are so many bulky bright red large frames blocking off shops that the whole road is a mess. Why wasn't one section done at a time?

Outside one shop the pavement has been dug up five times; outside another, work started last September is still not finished 10 months later.

To add insult to injury, there are not nearly enough pedestrians or cyclists to justify the expensive changes being dumped upon the city.

How businesses can survive this council nonsense is a mystery, and many will not. Closing the central city down is not the answer.

Margaret Murray-Benge, Bethlehem.

TCC replies: Our city is growing fast, and we need a transport network that supports this growth and keeps people safe when moving around.
The Cameron Rd Stage 1 upgrade project was due to be completed October 2023.

We still anticipate completion by the end of this year, which is a positive outcome considering the impact of Covid-19 on resourcing and the record rainfall we've had throughout construction, and this year in particular. Council is very aware of the impact that construction sites have on the local businesses and community, and we work hard to make sure that this impact is reduced as much as possible.

There are many elements to construction. The below-the-ground stormwater and wastewater work needs to be completed before the team can return to sections to work on the streetscape and cycleway facilities. To reduce the overall time taken for construction, there are multiple work sites along Cameron Rd. Council continues to work closely with the Cameron Rd Joint Venture contractors to complete sections as quickly as is achievable and reduce the impacts as much as possible.