Tears streaming and emotions running high is the effect the Cameron Rd roadworks are having on store owners between 11th and 12th Avenues.
The Weekend Sun visited some of the Cameron Rd store owners last week to see how the roadworks have impacted business. 'Everybody's suffering in all the shops. We can't pay the rent,” says Baljit, whose husband owns Micro Computers and Electronics – right across from Hell's Pizza.
When The Sun reporter spoke to Baljit in her shop it was about 11am – there were no customers and she was in tears talking about the situation. The Cameron Rd roadworks are part of a major infrastructural project – including construction of bus lanes and cycleways. Storeowners feel like the roadworks have become a permanent fixture outside their businesses – where cars once parked – it is now a sea of orange barricades.
Going broke
The businesses revealed how the prolonged roadworks have impacted store turnover. 'We lose 60-70 per cent of business so it's very hard. We're even paying rent from our own savings at the moment,” says Davi Singh, who works fulltime at his brother's superette – Super Clearance & Convenience Store.
Owner of Antiques & Collectables, Bill Sedcole says: 'We're all going broke”. His business is just along from The Cheesecake Shop and has been open for 20 years. 'As soon as these big barriers came in it was like we might as well not come to work.”
Florist Katie Morris says her Blooms on Cameron store is down nearly 50 per cent in turnover due to roadworks. 'People have had to take up second jobs to pay rent…I don't think they've thought about the people it will effect at all,” says Katie.
There will be no financial aid for businesses due to prolonged roadworks either. Tauranga City Council's director of transport Brendan Bisley says: 'Council will not be compensating business owners along Cameron Rd as the work being carried out is considered reasonable according to the criteria set out in the PWA (Public Works Act 1981)”.
This makes Davi's decision simple. 'When our lease finishes – we will be gone.” 'This is futureproofing for Cameron Rd but by killing all businesses on Cameron Rd…we don't think there will be any business here in the future.” Bill adds: 'We are here now! We're trying to make a living”.
Dragging on
'They [council] said it would be finished mid-October but they're still working here,” says Baljit. The roadworks on Cameron Rd between 11th and 12th Ave began late-June and shop owners say they were told by council the works would take 10-12 weeks to complete. 'It's almost six months now and they're not even near to being finished,” says Davi. 'The work in this area was hampered by several factors, including unforeseen issues that required design changes and reprogramming,” says Brendan. 'We recognise that a period during construction work outside a business can be difficult for all of those businesses directly affected.”
Buses over car-parks
A further core issue for these businesses is that when the works are complete – most of the carparks that were once out front of the stores will be replaced with bus lanes and a bus stop. The Sun reporter had to park up at Countdown and walk about 40 metres to get to the shops. 'We've gone down from around 20 carparks to seven,” says Bill. 'Deep down they've told us lies.”
David Hodgson, who liaises with TCC on the 11th-12th Ave stores behalf, says: 'I went to the original council meetings – all the parking was meant to stay out the front here and there was no bus stop…then low and behold there's a bus stop right outside the florist – no consultation – no communication”.
'The relocation of the bus stop from outside Countdown to before the 12th Avenue intersection is to even out space between bus stops and provide a better level of service for passengers, and to improve connectivity between both sides of the road for pedestrians,” says Brendan. David's response to this reasoning is: 'So if you kill and knock businesses off and we've got empty shops – that's fine?”
According to TCC the bus lanes along Cameron Rd will operate part-time during peak hours, which will allow carparking during off peak hours. 'It'll just be a big double bus lane out there so people won't stop,” says Katie. As foot traffic type businesses, David says: 'These businesses rely on people being able to pull in, jump out of the car, grab what they want and take off again”.
'We haven't got to meet with the Commissioners despite our best efforts. We're still trying because it's not just us and the problems we're experiencing –it's others too. There's still a long way to go with the project and so if we voice the concerns we've got –hopefully it can help other businesses,” says David.
'We're not anti what you're [TCC] trying to do and tidy Cameron Rd up and make it a show piece but you've got to bear in mind the impact you're having on businesses; and if your impacting businesses you're effecting people's livelihoods – real people.”