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Kalmia Street, Ellerslie – Pedestrian safety improvements Kalmia Street, Ellerslie – Pedestrian safety improvements

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: 10100468

Proposal outcome

In February 2022, we proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety on Kalmia Street, outside Ellerslie Train Station, by installing a zebra crossing and speed cushions.

Thank you to all those who submitted feedback on this proposal. We received a range of feedback from people with different interests in this proposal. Many respondents told us that the community would not benefit from the proposed changes, especially as there is a nearby crossing at Kalmia Street and Sultan Street. We have carefully considered the feedback we received and have decided not to proceed with the proposed works.

A summary of additional requests, and our responses to them, is below.

Requests for pedestrian safety improvements in the area

  • Request for pedestrian safety improvements to be installed around Main Highway, Michaels Avenue, Ellerslie Park Road and Eaglehurst Road.
    In April 2022 we proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Main Highway and Eaglehurst Road. These proposed works are planned for construction in early 2023. The changes will reduce traffic speeds entering and exiting the adjacent side streets and will provide a safe crossing facility to access the bus stops on Main Highway. Find out more about the Main Highway and Eaglehurst Road project.
  • Request for pedestrian safety improvements at the following locations:
    • Between the pedestrian overbridge and Main Highway, as this is a dangerous spot for pedestrians.
    • In Ellerslie, as it feels unsafe walking in the area with children.
    • On Morrin Street, as traffic travels at a high speed on Morrin Street and it is a hectic thoroughfare.
    • At Ladies Mile, Morris Street and Pukerangi Crescent, as it is dangerous for pedestrians to cross due to long traffic queues.
    • At Main Highway and Kalmia Street as traffic speeds are high and it is dangerous for pedestrians to cross. Concern that a lack of safe crossing facilities increases congestion in the area, with more parents opting to drive their kids over letting them walk to school.

These requests are out of the scope of this proposal, but we have included them in our master list of sites which are prioritised yearly for further investigation.

  • Suggestion to install a multi-use underpass, slightly west of the corner, as this would improve pedestrian safety and allow traffic to flow freely at all times as it would allow for the removal of the existing signalised crossing.
    Underpasses are very complicated and expensive to build. They require lots of space to be far enough away from private properties and major excavation.
  • Request for the existing signalised crossing to be widened and raised, to improve safety for children crossing at this location. Also, after it has rained there is a river in the gutter which children have to jump over to access the pavement.
    The signalised crossing is currently operating satisfactorily. We have sent your request to the appropriate team for investigation.
  • Suggestion to extend the current railway pedestrian overbridge to the other side of Kalmia, slightly west of the corner on the northern side of the road.
    This request is currently out of scope of this project.  

Requests for other improvements in the area

  • Request for a bus shelter on the north-western side of Kalmia Street to be installed.
    This request is being investigated.
  • Suggestion that Kalmia Street could be made into a one-way street to increase pedestrian and driver safety.
    Making Kalmia Street one way would inconvenience Ellerslie Primary School and Ellerslie Fire Station, and so is not justified at this stage.
  • Concern that there are very few safe cycling facilities in Ellerslie. Request for a cycle way from Liston Park through Michaels Avenue Reserve to the town centre to be installed, as envisaged in the Orakei Local Board Greenways Plan.
    This request is currently out of scope of this project.  

Proposal update         

Our proposal received a range of feedback that highlighted how important journeys along Kalmia Street are to the local community. The process of reviewing the feedback has taken longer than anticipated.

We aim to publish an overview of it, and the outcome of the proposal, on this webpage in the next couple of months.

We thank everyone for sending us feedback and apologise for this delay. We will be back in contact as soon as possible.

We're proposing improvements in your area

As part of our work to keep Aucklanders moving, we are planning to improve pedestrian safety on Kalmia Street.

We are proposing to:

  • Install a zebra crossing at the bend on Kalmia Street, outside of Ellerslie Train Station. The zebra crossing will have pedestrian refuge islands at its approach closest to the train station. Refuge islands are platforms that protect pedestrians from oncoming traffic while they are waiting to cross. We will install new streetlighting to ensure that the crossing is visible for drivers during low light conditions. 
  • Install two sets of four speed cushions on either side of the new zebra crossing. Speed cushions are small, raised bumps positioned in the centre of the traffic lane. As this project is in an industrial area, we chose speed cushions as they are easier to travel over for larger vehicles, while also reducing high driver speeds.
  • Install new signage to support both the new zebra crossing and new speed cushions on Kalmia Street.

Download the proposal drawing for Kalmia Street. (PDF 1.64MB)

The local community has asked us to improve pedestrian safety on Kalmia Street. These changes will provide pedestrians, especially schoolchildren, with a safer place to cross the road and access Ellerslie School, Ellerslie Train Station, and other amenities off Kalmia Street. The speed cushions on either side of the bend will ensure that vehicles slow down to an appropriate speed and stop if required at the new zebra crossing.  

If you would like to post in your feedback, download and print our feedback form template, fill in your details and send it freepost using the address details on the form.

What happens next

  • We’ll listen to all the feedback we receive, and then decide the best way to move forward.
  • We’ll post the outcome of this proposal and a summary of community feedback on this webpage.
  • We can email you the proposal outcome as soon as it’s ready – just select that option when you fill in the survey.

More Information

  • This proposal is supported with funding from the Auckland regional fuel tax.

Ellerslie: 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 Kalmia Street 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).