Auckland can’t wait another 6 months for the legislation to give the Council the decision-making power over AT, who is carrying on with the destruction of traffic movement in our city.
At Auckland Council's monthly public meetings, Auckland Transport sings their praises but that’s not how ratepayers see it, they remain one of the most hated organisations. CEO Dean Kimpton admitted that cycleways are unused, “in that emissions reduction plan, cycling is supposed to rise to 17% of all trips. But it's still stuck on 1% ...I'm not a believer in 'build it and they will come’.” [NZ Herald 26.11.23]
The government called a halt to humps and cycleways, but AT is still building them. The road designs in our area have major design flaws caused by a lack of understanding, restricted consultation and being cycleway dominant. Meola/Pt Chevalier cycleway is nearing completion; Great North Road is starting; and Surrey/Old Mill is planned for July.
Great North Rd Cycle Lane
I saw a truck struggling to turn from GNR into Maidstone St on its way to the Williamson Ave supermarket. Yet construction is underway narrowing that intersection entry without regard to service vehicles, in yet another cycle-centric design. Apparently, the humps at the steep roads leading to the ridge have been amended out of the construction after I pointed out, vehicles are already slowed by ‘hill-starts’.
Contractors have felled 23 mature trees because they were in ‘sight-line’, that wasn’t a problem for at least the last 50 years. WLB chair assured me on Facebook, “Additional trees are being planted so please try not to worry. That will be better for the climate so no need to be distressed.” Wrong, cutting down mature trees and replacing them with seedlings is akin to firing a teacher and replacing her with a 5-year-old. It doesn’t improve the environment or the aesthetic, and certainly doesn’t give her a “beautiful boulevard”.
The intersection from Bond St will no longer allow vehicles to access Williamson Ave via Grosvenor St. This is the street with one of the worst cycleway designs, only to be beaten by West Lynn Village.
Pt Chevalier T3 Transit Lane
AT insisted traffic using Meola were ‘rat-runners’ and it wasn’t an ‘arterial’ road, even though it is the outer link bus route. They must have changed their ‘collective mind’ since the new layout now has a T3 lane added without public consultation. It’s half a block long on Pt Chev Rd, on the side of the evening commute from 3 pm to 7 pm. Yet it also restricts 7 am to 10 am morning traffic, who are commuting on the other side of the road.
The length of the zigzagging cycleway, there are only 36 carparks (reduced to 12 during T3 operation), one loading and no disabled parking. The short block, the other side of the Meola roundabout, has 17 car parks. That loss must be devastating for business. The side streets have also lost carparks. Parking for dog walkers and soccer players has not been solved. There are also drainage issues and the last time it rained heavily, water was going into the Twisted Tomato Cafe. AT have also put in an ‘over-engineered solution’, at the intersection of Meola and Moa, a ramp and a set of stairs. This has to be seen to be believed.
Meola/Garnet Roundabout
Before the new layout, the Meola/Garnet roundabout worked well, with 2 lanes going uphill from the shops - local traffic continued uphill while commuters turned right into Meola. Now the downhill entry into the roundabout has two lanes and gives heavy vehicles the option of straddling both lanes. Interestingly, no allowance has been made for heavy traffic turning left or going uphill.
The removal of the second lane uphill lane was supported by 4 Waitematā Local Board members and a petition from the new Westmere Village businesses - Seabreeze Cafe, Ragtag and the bakery next door. AT chose to use this to back up their design. They ignored those who understood local traffic patterns backing two lanes remaining - Mayor Brown (Sunday Star Times 15.9.24 with AT’s Mark Banfield assurance), Councillor Lee, myself, 3 C&R WLB members and a petition from 9 long-term Westmere Village shops. Many buses left turning from Meola are getting stuck on the new, extra wide, high roundabout.
Meola/Garnet Traffic Light and CCTV
Residents have been informed via maildrop that a “weekday morning peak traffic light will only operate when there's long queuing on Meola Road” stopping downhill traffic and giving priority to commuters. Whilst all traffic on a roundabout gives way to their right, are the lights going to confuse traffic that they have right of way?
“CCTV cameras will be installed on street light poles outside 17 Meola Rd, and 122 Garnet Rd” where 3 more car parks will be removed
Gael Baldock
Surrey Crescent and Old Mill Road Improvements - AT’s Construction Plans;
https://haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/97322/widgets/452508/documents/299878
Also refer to PN p35 Sept 2022; p20 May 2923; p31 Mar 2024; p25 July 2024; p36 Aug 2024
1 comment
Can you please explain how adding a cycleway to a road suddenly makes it ‘cycleway dominant’? The cycleway is usually the smallest feature of the road – the general traffic lanes are always wider, and often the footpaths are wider still. What definition of ‘dominant’ are we using?