My Account
Persistence is paying off when it comes to Cr John Watson’s campaign to fix traffic problems on Whangaparaoa Road that have occurred since Whangaparaoa New World opened.
At rush hours, traffic is bumper to bumper along the stretch of Whangaparaoa Rd near New World. At times this has extended as far as The Plaza.
Consultation between New World owner Foodstuffs, Auckland Transport (AT) and Auckland Council, came to an agreement to cut back the traffic island and shift the bus stop further west to reduce the risk of rear end crashes (HM March 16).
However, Cr Watson remained concerned that the main problem was traffic coming to a halt at the New World car park entrance because it involves a sharp left hand turn.
AT advised that the car park entrance is narrow to improve safety for pedestrians.
However, recently staff came to the site to see the problem for themselves and at a recent meeting with AT, Cr Watson says a number of options were discussed to remedy the situation. Two potential solutions to modify the access to allow for a smoother entry into the site, preventing the need for vehicles following closely to brake so suddenly, are now being investigated.
AT staff are hopeful that agreement will be reached on this and on who will cover the cost of the remedial works.
“The alternative was ‘to grin and bear it’, which I said is unacceptable,” Cr Watson says. “Poor design of the entranceway has created new congestion on an already very busy stretch of road. I would think that business owners in the New World complex would also be keen to see it solves, as it’s in their interests to make it easier and safe for customers to get in and out.”
