Ponsonby News was contacted recently by a group of Grey Lynn Primary School children’s parents concerned about the safety of their young children walking to school
Parents have been calling for better crossings, but so far Auckland Transport has not satisfied their concerns.
Auckland Transport got back to Ponsonby News, but only to reiterate the inadequate response they had already made to this group of parents. Ponsonby News has asked AT to meet with us and the concerned parents on site near the dangerous Richmond Road, Surrey Crescent intersection to try to resolve the matter. We will update this story in the July issue.
The attached photo shows parents, from left, Ginny Bridgeman, Cathy Materi, and Susy Bevan, with children, from left, Richie, Sam, William, Lucy, BB and Immy.
These and other parents walk their kids to school each day. They say they take their lives in their hands every time they cross Richmond Road or Surrey Crescent. They must cross one or the other in order to get to Grey Lynn School.
These parents are asking Auckland Transport to put a zebra crossing on Surrey Crescent, near the intersection with Richmond Road, or on Richmond Road just down from West Lynn Panel and Paint. Either option would allay their fears of a potentially dangerous accident.
Susy Bevan would like to start a walking school bus, for a group of young children in this area, but she wouldn’t dare attempt to cross those roads with less than a one-for-one ratio of kids to adults.
These parents would also support a speed reduction on these roads to 40kph, the same as Ponsonby Road. They told Ponsonby News they agreed with the reduction on Ponsonby Road but thought the number of children around Surrey Crescent and Richmond Road made 40kph even more sense in their precinct.
We have been banging on in Ponsonby News about amenity values, and these include safety, especially with population intensification and increased traffic. The values these families treasure must not be lost or diminished, and nothing is more important than safety.
Auckland Transport has been more collaborative of late, including good local consultation on cycle ways, and we have urged them to increase that consultation wherever possible. Around the world the most liveable cities are being reborn from the bottom up. Residents are being asked for their ideas, not dictated to from on high.
Let’s hope AT will continue to engage with the community on issues like this one, and stop imposing their already made-up minds on residents. (JOHN ELLIOTT)