Davis Crescent, Newmarket - New footpath and crossing Davis Crescent, Newmarket - New footpath and crossing

Accessibility concerns and requests

• Concern people parking on Davis Crescent might slip on the grass berm We will remove the proposed grass berm along the edge of the footpath, please refer to the updated drawing.
• Please do maintenance on footpaths near and around the pool (The Olympic Pools & Fitness Centre), many are in a poor state and hard to navigate. We will pass this concern to our maintenance team.
• Request to make changes to the kerb near the mobility car parks on Broadway. There is no kerb ramp for people in wheelchairs, making them useless. We are currently investigating this issue in a separate project. We will consult with the community when a solution has been proposed. The outcome of that consultation will not be impacted by this proposal.

Crossing facilities

• Request to not install the crossing until there is a clearer understanding of all pedestrian crossings that are being investigated along Davis Crescent. Based on community feedback and the upcoming Community Safety Fund project. we will not proceed with the proposed raised zebra crossing. This newly developed Community Safety Fund project will involve proposing a raised zebra crossing at a nearby location. The community will be given the opportunity to provide feedback when the details are prepared.
  However, we will continue to monitor this existing crossing to determine if any changes are required in the future.
• Request for pedestrian crossing at Lumsden Green to the Quest Apartment buildings. The existing pedestrian crossing meets the current demand in the area. However, if crossing demand increases due to future developments in the area, we will consider upgrading the crossing facility at that time.
• Request for a signal-controlled crossing for the Davis Crescent cul de sac. This cul de sac is particularly dangerous for people walking as most do not look before crossing the road. This could also improve traffic flow in the area. The cul de sac is linking to the car park entrance/exit. The traffic volume and the traffic speed along the cul de sac is generally low. In addition, the crossing distance at this location is short. Therefore, we cannot justify installing signal-controlled crossing at this stage.

Parking

• Concern the parking removal will make it extremely difficult for The Olympic Pools & Fitness Centre to unload barrels of treatment chemicals, as recently they have also lost their loading zone. We understand the importance of parking in the area, which is a valuable resource for the community. However, parking removal at this location is required as the footpath widening will reduce the road width. Additionally, without the removal of parking, the distance between the edge of the footpath to the refuge island could cause accessibility issues as the road becomes narrow at this point.
• Request to remove more on street parking on Davis Crescent to retain slip lane into Care car park. We will retain the right turn bay into the car park, however, due to the parking demand in the area and road width, we still will have to remove the left turn lane.

Network

• Concern no consideration has been given to the linkage to Lumsden Green. The proposed footpath will link to the existing footpath and people walking will be able to access Lumsden Green.
• Concern this proposal will exacerbate the effects the Kingdom Street road closure (Khyber Pass to Carlton Gore Road) have had on traffic. We haven’t identified any planned works in the area at this stage. If any other projects are proposed in the area, the construction of footpath will be coordinated with other planned closures. Therefore, we don’t expect the construction to have a significant impact on the traffic.
• Request to widen and improve the western side of Davis Crescent instead of this side, as this is where most pedestrian traffic is (alongside Quest Apartments and 27 Davis Crescent). This proposal came about from requests to improve the eastern footpath. This footpath has multiple obstructions which narrows the pathway and is not user friendly for people walking. This proposal aims to improve pedestrian amenity and may increase the number of pedestrians using this footpath.
  However, we will investigate the improvement of the western side of Davis Crescent separately. This has been added to our New Footpath Candidate List where it will be scored and prioritised.
• Request to create an internal connection between the pool and the carpark so people don’t need to walk outside. This request would be for the property owner, as Auckland Transport does not own this section of land. It would be for the property owner to provide these pedestrian facilities such as an internal connection.

Other

• Request to minimise disruption to businesses during the works and time construction to take place in January. We will pass this request to the construction project manager who will coordinate with other works in the surrounding area.
• Concern there has been no consideration given to the potential and desirable development of a Newmarket West Railway Station between Davis Crescent and Kingdom Street. This proposal is to improve the pedestrian amenity in the area, any further development in the railway will be benefited by this improvement.