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College Road, St Johns - Pedestrian improvements with bus stop changes College Road, St Johns - Pedestrian improvements with bus stop changes

Proposal status: Feedback closed 22 May 2020, last updated 29 September 2020.

Reference number: RSU1920-134

In May 2020, we proposed changes in your area

To improve road safety for people walking in the area, we proposed to install new pedestrian islands and relocate existing school bus stops on College Road, St Johns.

Changes proposed on College Road, St Johns

  • Install a new pedestrian island (a raised platform in the middle of a road that makes it safer to cross a road by breaking up the journey) with side islands, tactile pavers (yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road), road markings and signage at 51 College Road, St Johns.
  • Install a new pedestrian island with tactile pavers, new kerb extensions and footpath, road markings and signage at the intersection of Swainston Road and College Road, St Johns.
  • Install a new flush median along College Road and shorten the multilane section of College Road by approximately 120 metres.
  • Relocate 2 existing school bus stops (outside 51 College Road and 26 College Road) with new road markings and signage.
  • Install new broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) removing 7 parking spaces on College Road and 7 parking spaces on Swainston Road to provide greater visibility between pedestrians and approaching vehicles. 2 spaces will become time restricted to allow the school bus stop to operate safely on College Road.

This proposal is part of a region wide pedestrian improvement programme which aims to improve safety at pedestrian crossings in high-risk locations. Read more about this programme.

Download the proposal drawing for College Road (PDF 964KB)

Proposal outcome

We have made minor changes to the design based on community feedback. We will reduce the extent of the broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) on the northern side of Swainston Road to allow two more parking spaces. We will also reduce the edge lane marking on the western side of College Road near the St Johns Road/College Road roundabout to encourage people to park further away from the intersection.

Thank you to everyone who responded to our proposal and gave us the chance to better understand your community and concerns. A summary of your feedback and our responses to community questions is below.

Download the updated proposal drawing for College Road (PDF 984KB)

Feedback received

  • Respondents stated that there have been many accidents on College Road and that the proposal will improve the safety of people crossing College Road.
    Thank you for your feedback.

Additional crossing

  • Suggestion for a controlled crossing on Merton Road to safely access the sports areas and Swimtastic.
    We will consider this location in future investigations for the Pedestrian Improvement Programme.

Bus stop location

  • Concern that the proposed bus stop is in the middle of the College Road/Thorp Street T intersection which will encourage people to cross there and not use the proposed crossing. Request to move the crossing closer to the bus stop so people will use it.
    Alternative bus stop locations (including closer to the proposed crossing) were considered during our initial investigations. However, due to design constraints, the proposed location is considered as the best practical location for the bus stop to maintain a clear line of sight for pedestrians and preserve the existing street trees.
  • Suggestion to relocate the bus stop after the traffic island to improve visibility of people using the crossing.
    Due to design constraints, the proposed location is considered as the best practical location for the bus stop whilst preserving existing street trees. Adequate visibility is provided between approaching drivers and pedestrians at the proposed crossing.

Parking

  • Concern with the loss of on-street parking spaces.
    We have reassessed the proposed broken yellow line parking restrictions and concluded that two of the spaces on Swainston Road can be restored without compromising safety. The broken yellow lines on the north-eastern side of the road (outside #2 and #4 Swainston Road) will be shortened to allow 2 more parking spaces compared with the original proposal. In addition, parking is also allowed in the bus stop box on College Road outside of the school bus stop operating times.
  • Request for parking bays as people are park on the berm and currently people parking on the road make it difficult for residents accessing their driveways.
    Our observations indicate that there are enough parking spaces available in the general area. We understand that vehicles parked on the road can sometimes be an inconvenience. Parking within one metre of a driveway is illegal as outlined in the NZ Road Code. If a vehicle is parking within one metre of your vehicle crossing and blocking your access, please call parking enforcement on 09 355 3553 with vehicle details.
  • Suggestion to extend the broken yellow lines to 24 College Road as a car parked there obstructs traffic coming up College Road when trying to exit right from Swainston Road.
    The stop line on Swainston Road has been moved forward which will improve visibility of vehicles turning right from Swainston Road to see the oncoming traffic on College Road.

Congestion

  • Concern over the current congestion on College Road and that the proposal will make the situation worse.
    We consider the traffic condition on College Road being similar to the existing situation with the proposal due to the nature of the morning and afternoon traffic demands on the road. We will monitor the situation, and should the traffic conditions change, alternative options will be investigated.

Next steps

These works are planned to be constructed during the first half of 2021, but we will let you know if there are further changes or delays. Our contractors will send notices to affected residents 48-hours prior to construction starting.

St Johns: Safe with us

Auckland Transport cares for your safety. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids and senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around College Road are another step towards our goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures (like minor time saving).