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Mount Smart Road and Mays Road, Onehunga - Signalisation and pedestrian improvements Mount Smart Road and Mays Road, Onehunga - Signalisation and pedestrian improvements

Proposal status: Updated 16 August 2021

Reference number: NOP2021-007

Proposal outcome

In October 2020, we proposed changes to improve safety and efficiency for all people travelling through the Mount Smart Road and Mays Road intersection in Onehunga, and asked for your views. After reviewing the feedback we received, we have decided not to proceed with the proposed works. An alternative option, which will look to include safe cycling facilities, is being worked on and once this has been designed, we will consult on a new proposal. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

Community feedback

Thank you for adding your voice to this proposal. A summary of your comments and queries about the area, and our responses to them, is below.

  • Query about how many accidents occur at this intersection each year.
    There have been 35 reported incidents at the Mt Smart Rd and Mays Rd intersection from the past five years (2014-2019), consisting of 6 injury and 29 non-injury crashes. The primary contributing factors to these crashes are drivers failing to give way and poor observation attributable to the current inadequate layout of the intersection. The proposed intersection upgrade coupled with signal control would largely address these safety issues and improve pedestrian accessibility. The proposal is now undergoing further design changes for better accommodating cyclists, and we will consult with you again on the updated design in due time.
  • Suggestion to change speed limit to 30km/h.
    Mt Smart Road is an arterial road which is primarily used by through traffic. The current speed limit of 50km/h is consistent with the majority of the arterial network, and there is a lack of justification for lowering the speed limit to 30km/h on Mt Smart Rd at this stage. We appreciate your concern about speeding in the area; the updated design now under development will retain the raised platforms on the approaches to the intersection to ensure safe speed going through the intersection.
  • Concern drivers will use neighbouring roads to avoid potential congestion.
    Traffic impact analysis is always part of the design process. Any interventions that may cause significant traffic delays will not be adopted as the final design.

Proposal update

Our proposal received a range of feedback that highlighted how important journeys through the Mount Smart Road and Mays Road intersection are to the local community, no matter what type of transport is being used.

The process of reviewing the feedback has taken longer than anticipated. We aim to publish an overview and outcome of this 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 changes in your area

We have identified that the current layout of this intersection is inefficient in dealing with high traffic demand so are proposing some improvements.

Changes proposed in the area:

  • Install traffic lights with push-button signalised pedestrian crossings on all three legs of the intersection. The crossings will include tactile pavers, which are yellow guidance paving markers, and the push-buttons have sound to help visually impaired people find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
  • Install traffic islands and new footpaths, plant new grass berms and change the kerb line to shorten the crossing distance and support the signalisation of the intersection.
  • Remove the guard rail at the corner of Mount Smart Road and Mays Road to provide a space for people to wait to cross the road.
  • Paint new road markings to create separate through and turning lanes.
  • Paint green cycle stop boxes to give cyclists a place to wait before the traffic lights.
  • Remove one parking bay outside #150 Mount Smart Road to accommodate the new intersection layout.
  • Paint broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times), removing a total of one on-street parking space.
  • Upgrade the zebra crossing between Victoria Street and Athens Road to a zebra crossing on a Swedish-style speed table. A Swedish-style speed table has one sharp ramp and a more gentle exit which gives a smoother ride for vehicles and passengers. The crossing will include pedestrian islands and a pedestrian fence.
  • Install a Swedish-style table on the eastern approach of Mount Smart Road.
  • Install a sensor underneath the driveways of #154 and #156 Mount Smart Road, to detect the vehicles coming out of the driveways and introduce an all red phase at the signal to assist the vehicles exiting.

There have been multiple accidents at this intersection due to unsafe turning manoeuvres. The installation of traffic lights aims to improve safety and efficiency for all people travelling through the area. The changes are designed to make it safer for drivers by preventing crashes between turning and oncoming traffic. New, safe places to cross these busy roads will help to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety. It is our goal that everyone; drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and our most vulnerable, should be able to move around this area as safely and efficiently as possible.

This proposal is supported by the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax.

Download the proposal drawing for Mount Smart Road and Mays Road (PDF 1MB)

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.

Onehunga: 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 Mount Smart 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).