The Pedestrian Crossing at the corner of Francis Street/Richmond Road in West Lynn.
In 2017, Auckland Transport built a cycleway through the Westmere shopping and social centre. Richmond Road was raised and a new ramp leading away from the Francis Street crossing was created with a gradient of 1:8. As a paraplegic I found this gradient very dangerous, as I imagine it is for mothers with prams, the elderly and any others having difficulty in getting around.
Meetings were held with up to 40 attendees at AT’s headquarters which discussed this matter. In September 2018, with others, I created a complaint to the Human Rights Commission, which was eventually heard in April 2019. AT representatives promised the HRC to do something about the danger, and to correct the pooling water which collects and remains here, and on other footpaths in Westmere after rain.
In 2020, and in March this year I raised the matter with the Waitemat-a Local Board, supposedly our conduit to the Council and its subordinates like AT.
Council regulations for private and public building will only consent to ramp gradients of less than 1:12. This ramp continues to threaten well after three years of the completion (or abandonment) of the AT contractors who built to Council plans which I have examined.
AT has informed me that some time in the future the same contractors who created this danger will rectify it, but AT will not show me any plans. No tenders were asked for which is against standard Council practice. Reparations will be slow and very disruptive to commerce. An AT engineer told me in 2018 that the cost of reparation would be at least $22 million.
All this to raise the crossing, (with another nearby on the same cycle lane), while all other crossings in Richmond Road, two outside schools, have the standard flat contour. It could be easily, speedily, and less expensively lowered, but this may affect the cycle lane.
I remain aghast... William Gruar, Westmere