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A raised pedestrian crossing on Whangaparāoa Road’s dynamic lane, designed to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, has been described by two Auckland Councillors as “a de facto judder bar on the busiest arterial road on the Hibiscus Coast”.
Auckland Transport’s (AT) proposal to build the crossing went under the radar – although the project is on a main road and expected to cost in the vicinity of $1.2m, it was not brought to a meeting of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board before public submissions opened.
Member Janet Fitzgerald said they received an email at the same time as public feedback was being sought.
“Before that, we had no input,” Fitzgerald says.
She says the need for a crossing was raised during consultation on the dynamic lane. The dynamic lane is also a residential street and Fitzgerald says residents were concerned about children crossing the road to school, or to catch buses, as well as those heading to the Community Health Centre for appointments.
“AT said that would be looked at once the dynamic lanes trial was over,” she says.
The proposed crossing, outside 139 Whangaparāoa Road, will have pedestrian activated lights and a wide, flat speed bump level with the footpath. The work also includes widening the footpath on the southern side, between the Red Beach Road intersection and 136 Whangaparāoa Road. A new bus stop and shelter will go outside 135 Whangaparāoa Road.
AT says that the changes will improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists and also promote a slower speed environment for drivers. The speed limit on this stretch of road is 50kph.
Councillors Wayne Walker and John Watson are opposed to the crossing, although they welcome the footpath extension and the recessed bus stop.
They describe the crossing as a “de facto judder bar” that will bring traffic to a stop, whether or not someone is crossing, in order to negotiate the raised pedestrian table.
They also question the number of people who need to cross the road there.
“We asked about the pedestrian count using the bus stop because of the distance to the signalised intersection at the Red Beach intersection and the relatively few properties on this side of the road. That would be useful in ascertaining what demand currently exists and what arrangement short of a raised crossing could work at this location,” the Councillors say.
They plan to meet with AT to discuss it further. Submissions closed on April 4. They are still being analysed and no information about them has yet been made public. The project is supported with funding from the Regional Fuel Tax.
