Improvements to key intersections in Queenstown will improve safety and traffic flows, with the first initiative underway by mid December.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council will change the intersection of Camp and Ballarat Sts from a T-intersection to a mini roundabout.

Principal Infrastructure Planner Denis Mander said the change would make it easier for buses and other vehicles to make the right turn from Ballarat St into Camp St.

The work will begin after 7 December and be finished before Christmas. “No physical changes to footpaths or the road are proposed at this stage,” Mr Mander said. “The inside circle of the roundabout will be painted on the road so large vehicles can drive over it.”

The second major change is a joint project involving QLDC and the NZ Transport Agency, which will see traffic lights installed at the Stanley St intersections with Ballarat St and Shotover St.

This work will begin after the busy summer season, in March or April.

The new signals will replace the pedestrian crossing at the bottom of the Stanley St hill, outside the courthouse and the crossing on Shotover St just to the north of Stanley St.

Mr Mander said that once the signals were installed, pedestrians would cross the road at the lights, which would be much safer than the existing pedestrian crossings.

As well, the signals will be much more efficient at peak times and will reduce the queues of vehicles in central Queenstown by preventing the stop-start effect on traffic caused by people using the Stanley St pedestrian crossing.

In the meantime, the Council will be stationing safety patrols at the Stanley St crossing again over the Christmas – New Year peak period, to help manage the flow of pedestrians and vehicles.