New crossing

A zebra crossing outside Mahurangi College in Warkworth looks set to be upgraded with signalised traffic lights, a Rodney Local Board workshop heard on Wednesday, May 7.

Auckland Transport (AT) project manager Fady Ghanima said there were two options available, either with or without side islands.

The existing crossing already has side islands, which Ghanima told members “pinched the road a little bit” to give pedestrians a bigger waiting area and a slightly shorter crossing distance.

He said leaving side islands off a new, wider signalised crossing would be slightly cheaper, though he conceded not by much, and only serve to make any future on-road cycle lane installation easier.

“You’re probably looking at about $250,000 to $300,000 and they’re only going to vary by about $10,000 between the more expensive and cheaper options,” he said. “They’re roughly the same.”

Ghanima added that this was only a concept at this stage and detailed design and pedestrian surveys would need to be carried out before any construction.

Board member Tim Holdgate said most students either walked into town or caught the bus and questioned whether the upgraded crossing was really needed.

However, board member Michelle Carmichael said it was being advocated for because it currently delayed motorists due to a continuous stream of students using the crossing at the start and end of the school day.

“There has been quite strong feedback,” she said.

Ghanima said AT had consulted with Mahurangi College and the school was happy with the suggested concept.

If approved, construction could happen in December or January, once scheme design, local board consultation, local board resolution, external consultation, presenting feedback to the board, detailed design, final drawings and “resolution” had been gone through.