A roundabout at the intersection of State Highways 8 and 83 could improve safety for people in Omarama.
The Ahuriri Community Board has asked the Waitaki District Council to lobby the NZ Transport Agency for a roundabout in Omarama to ease traffic pressures at the increasingly busy Waitaki Valley township.
Board chairman Graham Sullivan’s submission to the council’s 2018-28 long-term plan was based on a series of workshops held with residents of Ohau, Omarama, Otematata and Kurow.
"Adverse effects of high visitor traffic on amenity and road safety are already evident in Omarama and these effects are expected to increase," he said.
Managing growth to "avoid the problems of ad hoc development" included moving the Otematata toilets and upgrading the Omarama toilets, protection in the council’s district plan for the Clay Cliffs, Ahuriri River, Ben Omar, Ohau Valley and tussock lands, providing "a wider range of options" for business and residential growth, including smaller residential section sizes, and gaining recognition for the "night sky quality" of Ohau and Omarama.
