It is fair to say the decision has not gone down well.

The Daily Advertiser has been inundated with messages from motorists questioning the wisdom of the solution.

In fact, The DA has been hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks that installing lights where the Olympic Highway intersects with Old Narrandera Road and Travers Street is a good idea.

Now, this is a bit odd given the Minister for Regional Transport Paul Toole's media release announcing the decision linked to a page on the Transport for NSW website that stated its "call for feedback" in June 2019 "revealed overwhelming support for the installation of traffic lights at these locations".

Who are these people and where are they now?

I think people understand how the installation of traffic lights, particularly at the Old Narrandera Road death trap, will improve safety, but there is an overwhelming sense that congestion will get even worse.

I have a suspicion there would be "overwhelming support" among Wagga residents who use that highway for duplicating the Gobba Bridge as their preferred option.

However, this solution was never on the table.

During the 2018 byelection campaign, then roads minister Melinda Pavey announced $30 million to fix "two major traffic congestion areas in Wagga" - those being Gobba Bridge and Marshall's Creek Bridge.

But Ms Pavey made clear duplicating the bridge was not an option, saying the government would "do the best with the infrastructure we have".

The bridge will need to be duplicated eventually, I think everyone agrees on that, and maybe these changes will do just enough to make it somebody else's problem in 10 to 15 years' time.

But for now, the NSW government must explain to a sceptical public just how it arrived at this decision and how it will improve the lives of residents.

All the best for the week ahead,

Ross Tyson, editor