Rather than gracefully changing tack, in two recent situations AT has ‘doubled down’ and may be left with ‘egg on its face’, or something worse.
Although a diagram on AT’s website still shows the top of Mercury Lane closed to traffic, it did consult on pedestrianising, with 44% local support. However, AT did not consult on change of direction traffic.
That percentage didn’t make sense. AT is expecting 75% of patrons to embark at Beresford Station, so few people will climb the hill. I made a petition, convinced by a commercial business owner [letter p8 Sept PN] and locals I spoke with who wanted Mercury Lane back to how it was.
ACCESS TO MERCURY LANE KARANGAHAPE ROAD PETITION
"We demand that Auckland Council and Auckland Transport reinstate accessibility to Mercury Lane from Karangahape Road once the current services works are completed. Maintain the one way direction of Mercury Lane downhill from K' Road to Canada Street. Keep the road as per previous layout: open 24/7; car parking; loading zones; accessibility to George Courts Building parking via left turn off Mercury Lane; accessibility off Mercury Lane to AC Carpark Building; keep the right turn off Mercury Lane to Canada Street.”
Petition support was overwhelming. After three afternoons and three hours on Saturday evening, 125 business owners and/or managers signed the petition. One owner signed seven times for each of his venues. A ‘sex-worker’ and a Hollywood ‘movie star’ overheard the petition being explained and insisted on signing. Only three businesses were against the petition meaning less than 2% supported AT’s plan.
K’ Road’s public toilet closed when the CRL started. To back up this street closure, AT planned to install a $100k public toilet in Mercury Lane. When both stations open they will have toilets. There are more convenient locations for the conveniences. closer to the bus stops. Hence a second petition:
KARANGAHAPE ROAD PUBLIC TOILET PETITION
"We demand that Auckland Council and Auckland Transport locate two new public toilets: one at the corner of Karangahape Road Rainbow Bridge and Cobden Street and one at the top of Queen Street adjacent to the steps to Time Out Cafe by the Baptist Tabernacle. Both these sites are accessible for mobility impaired persons and will complement the future CRL public toilets. We do not support the location of an inaccessible public toilet in Mercury Lane.”
Mayor Brown, Auckland Transport, CRL and AC Community Facilities Director met on 3 September to discuss the possibility of opening the Beresford Station public toilet sooner than the station completion. They came up with a compromise, ‘flash port-a-loos’. The Mayor was told they were installed on 4 October. That was a lie. 17 October they installed two ‘bog standard’ port-a-loos with graffiti galore but no sanitiser, bog rolls or door locks. The Mayor was not impressed. Something ‘hit the fan’ and it wasn’t glitter. It certainly seemed like a giant ‘bird’ to the petitions formally presented to the Waitematā Local Board on 15 October.
Another matter that didn’t impress the Mayor was AT’s decision to reduce the Meola/Garnet roundabout to single lane, after they had agreed to keep it two lanes. “A quick chat to a relatively open-minded AT manager has resulted in a minor change to let drivers go straight through to continue their journey on Garnet Road.” Opinion Wayne Brown, Sunday Star Times, 15 September.
On 2 August, a local business owner and I were told by AT that not all the pedestrian crossings would be raised and there was a signal being added. We believed we had already convinced AT to keep two lanes by pointing out the two lanes of seven cars would extend to the next street if there was only one lane.
Glen McKendry, Westmere Butchery manager and I had presented to the AT Board asking to keep two lanes. He also said this award-winning business attracts customers from across the city, "On a Sunday we would have 500 to 600 customers, at the moment that is down to 400.” NZ Herald, 7 September, Westmere Butchery’s petition was formally presented to the Waitematā Local Board on 15 October signed by nine out of the 12 Westmere Village businesses. The bakery and the cafe were new to the village and didn’t have the history to choose a side. Apparently AT chose to gazump the Mayor with a petition of five people, teachers from Western Springs College and businesses (there was only one left). Now we have narrowed roads, I’m reminded of the Mayor’s question, “What is the problem we’re trying to fix here?” To which he answered, “It looks like AT are just creating a problem." (Gael Baldock)
GaelB@xtra.co.nz
Sign petitions at Vixen, 191 K’ Road.
#ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #loveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #coxsbay @followers #followers @everyone #everyone #waitematalocalboard @highlight