Parnell Road & Ayr Street intersection, Parnell – Slip lane upgrade Parnell Road & Ayr Street intersection, Parnell – Slip lane upgrade

Proposal status: closed 5 March 2019

Reference number: RSU1920-021

We're proposing changes in your area

We are proposing to upgrade the left turn slip lane of Parnell Road into Ayr Street in Parnell. The proposal includes a new raised zebra crossing, changes to the associated traffic-island, as well as updates to signage, lighting and road markings.

Download the proposal drawing for Parnell Road & Ayr Street (PDF 593KB) 

Why the changes are needed

These changes are needed to improve pedestrian safety by slowing traffic. Currently the relatively large radius of these bends allows for cars to speed through this pedestrian crossing.

This proposal is part of our Road Safety programme that aims to improve safety in all of Auckland.

Proposal outcome

This project will proceed without changes to the next stage of detailed planning. Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback. A summary of this feedback and answers to community questions and concerns is below.

Feedback received

  • This proposal received positive responses from community members and stakeholders who supported improvements in pedestrian safety.
  • Question as to why this project has been prioritised.
    This slip lane has been programmed for an upgrade due to its location near the Blind Foundation. Consideration was given to the vulnerable road users in the area, particularly the visually impaired. In addition, we have received complaints regarding pedestrian safety by those making use of this slip lane.
  • Enquiry about how many personal and/or vehicle accidents have occurred at this location over the last 5-10 years.
    As part of our investigations we have reviewed all (recorded) crashes at this location. In a five-year period between 2013 and 2018, there have been a total of nine crashes reported; none of them occurred at the slip lane. This location has been selected as a result of its location near the Blind Foundation, as well as customer requests. Raising the crossing on a table helps to slow down the speed of traffic to a survivable speed for pedestrians if they were to be involved in an accident with a car. Therefore we consider this to be the safest outcome for this situation.
  • Respondent would like to know which other sites like this are scheduled for this type of upgrade in suburbs surrounding/directly adjacent to the CBD.
    Currently Auckland Transport is looking at the safety performance of all left turn slip lanes associated with pedestrian and cyclist use. This includes the city fringe area. Once this study has been completed, an further sites will be identified for improvements.
  • Request for similar measures at the top of Brighton Road, and of Brighton Road as it meets St. Stephens Avenue.
    We have added these requests to our list of crossings to investigate.
  • Mention that it is inconvenient that people are using the bus box just before the slip lane to stop and eventually drive straight.
    We will create a record of this feedback and assess what AT can do to improve behaviour on our roads.
  • Request to know how long will the actual works will take, and how will AT mitigate peak am/pm demands.
    We cannot answer this question at this stage as a detailed design still has to be completed. Once we have the detailed design done, we will be able to provide you with more information. There will be a Traffic Management Plan (TMP) prepared to mitigate the traffic impact the physical works might have.

Next steps

This work will happen before July 2020, 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.