She chose the latter.
Ms Cohen said the roundabout at the gateway to Wānaka had become "embarrassing" and an "eyesore", and posted on a community Facebook page to see if anyone would like to help pull out weeds on the roundabout.
"I drive past it every day and didn’t want to be a keyboard warrior just complaining about it," Ms Cohen said.
"I posted on a community Facebook page asking if anyone would like to join me and it’s gone from there," she said.
The group has completed three weeding sessions on Sundays from 7am to 8.30am.
"We choose the morning for safety reasons because there is less traffic, and we received donations of hi-vis vests, gloves, and a place to dump the weeds for free.
"It feels disappointing that it’s come to this, but it feels good to do something for the community.
"It is amazing what you can do in a small amount of time together," she said.
The roundabout, on the intersection of State Highways 6 and 84 in Wānaka, is managed by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
Ms Cohen said she believed better, lower-maintenance options for the roundabout should have been initially taken.
"I would hate to think of how much money they spent planting this just for it to be overgrown with weeds," she said.
Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board chairman Simon Telfer said elected members from the community board did four hours of weeding three weeks ago.
"It felt vulnerable being in the middle of the roundabout in an 80kmh zone.
"It’s not something I encourage others to do.
"We need a long-term, sustainable solution to the weed problem in the form of a professional maintenance contract.
"We are doing our best to get this resolved but as it is not council-owned infrastructure, it needs to be initiated by NZTA," he said.
Mr Telfer said he and Queenstown Lakes deputy mayor Quentin Smith had discussed the issue with a senior NZTA manager.
"We asked him to prioritise a contract between NZTA and Queenstown Lakes District Council for the maintenance of the state highway roundabout.
"The current government will only fund removal of vegetation if it affects safety — they are not interested in aesthetics."
An NZTA spokesperson said vegetation maintenance at the roundabout was carried out just before Christmas.
"In general, NZTA is funded for maintenance to ensure the safety of road users, and not for amenity/aesthetic value."
The spokesperson said they were aware of people weeding the area.
"While we appreciate the positive intent of members of the community wanting to improve the look of these roundabouts, we strongly discourage any activity on a state highway like this.
"Without suitable traffic management, people may be putting themselves in harm’s way," they said.
