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Not surprised
Al Weeks, Ōrewa
The recent article on cost overruns on Penlink (HM June 16) must have raised a few eyebrows or even some computer rage. Actually, I don’t think there is any great mystery here. If we look at the numbers, the average cost escalation for a while now has been roughly 10 percent a year to build pretty much anything. I don’t know when the estimate for $400 million came in but let’s just say it takes seven years from ‘hey that’s a great idea – how much?’ to ‘I now declare this road open – snip’. This means that the original $400 million is now roughly $800 million. Add to this cost some fish hooks, these are ‘good grief there’s a big swamp in the middle that we didn’t see’. So, guess what? You have a billion-dollar project, and the only way to reduce this is to cut out the red tape and build it as fast as you can.
AT accused of overkill
Eric Woods, Stanmore Bay (abridged)
I watch with trepidation as Auckland Council/Transport carry out another “over the top” project. I refer to the pedestrian crossing just north of the bridge coming into Ōrewa from the south as reported in Hibiscus Matters (HM June 16). The location is within a 50kph zone, there was already a central refuge island, and all that was wanted was a good old zebra crossing and appropriate signage. I note that pedestrian controlled lights will be installed. Does AT not think that the local youths with too much time on their hands will press the button as they walk past with no intention of using the crossing thus bringing traffic to a halt for no reason? There is a very basic rule appropriate for planning and construction of which AT seem unaware. The rule is abbreviated to KISS – “keep it simple stupid”. Another project planned without the KISS stamp can be seen in the need for bollards at Hatfields Beach. A simple solution would have been for Council to purchase a load of No. 2 round posts, engage a local fencing contractor to drive them and if they needed to be painted, Council could supply the material and the good people of Hatfields Beach would have done the painting. Another example of “over the top” construction can be seen with the pedestrian crossing/judder bars in Centreway Rd. A perfectly good crossing was already there. For the record, I travel this road twice a day and have done so for over four years. Only once have I seen a pedestrian use the crossing and never once have I had to stop for anyone. Yet another example of a waste of money was the pedestrian crossing and road narrowing at the Shuttleworth/Stanmore Bay Rd intersection. All that was needed were a couple of square metres of new footpath. Instead the perfectly good kerb was ripped out and replaced with a throat narrowing kerb in Shuttleworth and a fancy raised brick pedestrian crossing. This of course necessitated a much more extensive footpath as well. If a pedestrian crossing was needed, which is questionable because of low usage, then a painted zebra crossing would have sufficed.
Where will they park?
Karen Joyce, Manly
Regarding the article, ‘Public outcry heard by Coast apartment block developer’ (HM July 1), it says the latest scheme has halved the height to three storeys. A total of 57 two-bedroom units are now envisaged with 16 car parking spaces proposed. I would imagine that most of the units would have two adults living in them with a car each. Let’s say 50 of them have – my question is where are the 107 cars going to park (less the 16 car parks available)? The surrounding streets such as Holiday Road are full from existing homeowners from around 5.30pm.
2nd place Silverdale
Lorraine Sampson, Silverdale (abridged)
I was amazed to read that $246,000 was being spent on a pedestrian activated light near the Ōrewa bridge (HM June 16). Here, there is only one way in each direction plus the speed is 50kph. There was already a pedestrian bay for people to stand in. However, at Silverdale, on Hibiscus Coast Highway, I have to cross four lanes of 70kph traffic to get to the Village or the medical centre (HM February 17). I would commend [Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member] Andy Dunn, who has done his best to get some attention to our plight. Each day children are crossing the highway along with elderly people and mothers with toddlers. How is it that, yet again, Silverdale issues are ignored?
Teenager Noah Gallagher went very public, with a sign on Whangaparāoa Rd, when asking girlfriend Macey Todd to the Whangaparāoa College ball. Teens have a lot of fun when it comes to ball invitations, utilising YouTube and social media. One year a Whangaparāoa College student even hired a plane that flew over the college with his request. When Noah wanted to use the Sign Solutions noticeboard, marketing and sales manager Karen Browne says she was happy to give him the space free, “for the excitement of young love”. ‘UP’ in red (and the balloons) refer to a favourite movie. Macey said ‘yes’.
