The motion, passed at last month’s meeting, quashed a proposal for traffic lights between the Orana Mall and aged-care residences Orana Gardens.

Some councillors have been fighting for traffic lights or a raised pedestrian crossing.

Council staff say putting a pedestrian crossing in Windsor Parade could actually be more dangerous than going without one.

But after councillors voted to rescind the motion, it found itself in a place it had never been before, according to Mayor Greg Matthews.

Directly after the rescission motion from Cr Ben Shields passed, he proposed another motion in its place - that the general manager report back to council on costings for a raised pedestrian crossing or traffic lights.

But that motion failed as well, when Cr Richard Mutton voted against it.

That was despite earlier voting for the rescission motion, which was effectively for a crossing on Windsor Parade.

“All I want is a pedestrian crossing,” he told council during debate. “Just some white lines on the road.”

With both motions defeated, council went into recess - after which Cr Shields tried to recommit his motion, only to find his earlier rescission motion was not covered by council’s code of conduct.

Cr Matthews told council that he “didn’t remember being in this position - it’s quite unusual”.

During the debate before the rescission motion was passed, Cr Allan Smith argued that councillors ought to listen to the road safety experts, who had said earlier that a pedestrian crossing could create an unsafe road environment.

Because Windsor Parade wasn’t busy enough, both cars and pedestrians become used to using the crossing without looking for the other, staff said.

Instead of the crossing, a traffic management plan was suggested for the whole of Windsor Parade, designed to slow cars down.

“I don’t think any councillor in the room is opposed to making the area safer - the argument is the quickest and most appropriate way to do it,” he said. “And that’s where we’re split.

“If the measures of the traffic management plan fail, then we go the next step.”

Some councillors have been reluctant to pass the crossing, arguing that because the pedestrian crossing, and traffic lights, are not warranted on the road, the RTA’s regional traffic committee would knock back the crossing.

Therefore, there would be no point in going to the committee.

But Cr Shields said the public were “100 per cent” behind the crossing, and that council could appeal to the roads minister if the regional traffic committee knocked back the crossing.

The entire issue was put off until next month’s ordinary meeting.

lynton.grace@ruralpress.com