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St Johns Rd, Meadowbank – Clearway and intersection upgrade St Johns Rd, Meadowbank – Clearway and intersection upgrade

Consultation status: closed 9 May 2018

Proposal reference: NOP1718-040

Proposal update

The new traffic lights at the intersection of St Johns Road and Felton Mathew Avenue are operational. The following changes are not yet implemented:

  • New clearways on St. Johns Road near St. Heliers Bay Road that will operate between 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday. 
  • Relocation of the bus stop at the corner of St. Johns Road and Felton Mathew Avenue further south, including extending the broken yellow lines to provide clear visibility at the intersection. 

What happens next

The uncompleted parts of the project now have an installation target of August 2021. We expect the works to take up to one day to complete in good weather conditions.  

We are proposing improvements in your area

We are proposing to (1) implement new clearways on St. Johns Road near St. Heliers Bay Road that will be operational 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and (2) upgrade the intersection of St. Johns Road and Felton Mathew Avenue, including:

  • Intersection signalisation and installation of a new left turn lane from St. Johns Road onto Felton Mathew Avenue.
  • Signal controlled pedestrian crossing facilities across Felton Mathew Avenue and the southern arm of St Johns Road.
  • Minor road widening of Felton Mathew Avenue at the junction with St. Johns Road to incorporate a new left turn lane.
  • Installation of broken yellow lines along the eastern side of St. Johns Road approaching the intersection.
  • Addition of bicyclist stop box road markings (advanced stop boxes) on all approaches to the intersection.
  • Tree trimming.

View the consultation drawing for St Johns Road - Intersection upgrade (PDF 1.2MB) 

View the consultation drawing for St Johns Road - New clearway (PDF 1.2MB)

Why the changes are needed

Congestion frequently occurs at the intersection of Felton Mathew Avenue and St. Johns Road. Due to traffic volume, vehicles often encounter difficulties turning onto St. Johns Road from Felton Mathew Avenue.

The proposed intersection changes will allow for a smoother flow of traffic through the intersection and will provide improved pedestrian crossing facilities at this location.

Proposed clearways near the St. Heliers Bay Road intersection serve to facilitate traffic flow at the merge zone on St. Johns Road and increase utilisation of the kerbside lanes.

Feedback

The proposal received positive feedback with some concerns raised by respondents. After reviewing this feedback and all other supporting evidence, the proposal will proceed without changes to the next stage of detailed planning.

Specific feedback

  • Concern that the implementation of new clearways along St. Johns Road will create further parking issues on nearby streets. The proposed clearways along St. Johns Rd will only be operational during weekday peak periods. Parking surveys have shown that weekday parking demand is relatively low throughout the day where the clearways are proposed. Outside of the hours of 7am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday, on-street parking will be permitted.  We expect these clearways will greatly reduce traffic congestion with minimal impact to on-street parking on surrounding streets.
  • Concerns that the proposed intersection signalisation will cause traffic to develop in eastbound lanes of St. Johns Road, thereby making it difficult for vehicles to turn left out of Gowing Drive onto St. Johns Road. During busy periods, the traffic signals at the St. Heliers Bay Rd intersection will coordinate with the proposed signals at Felton Mathew Ave to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The ability for vehicles to exit Gowing Drive is not expected to be affected as a result of the proposal.
  • Concern that during peak hours, traffic turning right from St. Johns Road onto St. Heliers Bay Road often backs up to the intersection with Felton Mathew Avenue, which will impact operation of the proposed intersection changes. During busy periods, the traffic signals at the St. Heliers Bay Rd intersection will coordinate with the proposed signals at Felton Mathew Ave to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The traffic signal system is adaptive and will automatically adjust to suit the changing traffic conditions across the day; however, if necessary, manual interventions can be made to mitigate extended queueing.
  • Concerns that intersection signalisation will cause traffic congestion during off-peak hours. During off-peak periods, traffic signals typically switch to a more flexible mode of operation aimed at minimising delays for all road users. In these cases, traffic travelling along St. Johns Road will still receive the largest share of green time as it is an arterial road with a higher priority than the Felton Mathew Ave side road.
  • Enquiry as to why road widening at the intersection of Felton Mathew Avenue is necessary. Minor widening of the roadway is required for two reasons: (1) to allow sufficient turning space for vehicles turning into and exiting Felton Mathew Avenue, and (2) to accommodate a short turning lane. The footpath on the eastern side of St. Johns Rd will also require minor realignment.
  • Concern that installation of additional lanes at the intersection will narrow existing lanes and make it difficult for vehicles to pass cyclists. Additional turning lanes are required so that turning movements can be separated from the main traffic stream. Leading up to the intersection, the width of traffic lanes will be narrower to accommodate the turning lane. Immediately after the intersection, however, lanes will be wider allowing sufficient space for vehicles to safely pass cyclists.
  • Concern that establishment of cyclist stop boxes will encourage dangerous overtaking within the intersection. Advanced Stop Boxes (ASBs) provide a safe, designated area for cyclists to wait for the traffic lights to change (particularly when turning). The positioning of ASBs in front of vehicle limit lines ensures visibility of cyclists is maintained.
  • Concerns regarding the phasing of proposed traffic signals, and the result it will have on traffic congestion. During busy periods, the traffic signals at the St. Heliers Bay Rd intersection will coordinate with the proposed signals at Felton Mathew Ave to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The traffic signal system is adaptive and will automatically adjust to suit the changing traffic conditions across the day; however, if necessary, manual interventions can be made to mitigate extended queueing.
  • Concern regarding the placement and visibility of the proposed traffic signals. All necessary intersection sight distance checks have been undertaken in accordance with relevant standards. The placement of signal poles and lanterns will be such that approaching vehicles have clear visibility of the signals.
  • Request to prioritise through traffic over turning traffic on St. Johns Road to better facilitate traffic flow. As St. Johns Rd is classified as an arterial road, traffic moving along this corridor will receive the largest allocation of green time throughout the day compared to Felton Mathew Ave.
  • Request for right turns onto Felton Mathew Avenue from St. Johns Road to be controlled by a "give way." At all signalised intersections, right turn movements are signal controlled with the opposing traffic stream held at a steady red to ensure safety. If once implemented, various safety criteria can be satisfied, a filtered right turn may be permitted to operate at certain periods of the day.
  • Enquiry as to how the proposal will improve conditions for vehicles turning right from Felton Mathew Avenue onto St. Johns Road. Under existing give way control, vehicles exiting Felton Mathew Avenue are often forced to proceed under high risk conditions due to limited gap availability in continuous traffic streams. Signalising the intersection will ensure that vehicles waiting on Felton Mathew Ave receive safe opportunities to turn onto St. Johns Rd.
  • Requests to prohibit right-turn movements from Felton Mathew Avenue onto St. Johns Road. Signalisation of the intersection will address all issues regarding right-turns into and out of Felton Mathew Avenue. This movement is currently permitted and at this stage, will remain so as part of the proposal.
  • Suggestion that signalisation of the intersection is not needed. Traffic signals at the intersection of Felton Mathew Ave and St. Johns Rd are warranted based on traffic volume, road safety and for pedestrian crossing facilities.
  • Concern that drivers frequently run red lights and that intersection signalisation will cause further safety hazards. Signalisation of the intersection will increase safety for all road users as conflicting movements can be controlled. Should you observe this behaviour, we encourage you to report these infringements to the New Zealand Police.
  • Request to install flashing pedestrian crossing lights at the intersection of St. Johns Road and Felton Mathew Avenue, rather than intersection signalisation. A signalised intersection improves road safety and provides greater flexibility by maintaining control over traffic movements throughout the day. It caters to a wider variety of road users and supports protected pedestrian crossing facilities.
  • Recommendations to install a roundabout at the intersection of Felton Mathew Avenue and St. Johns Road. A signalised intersection improves road safety and provides greater flexibility by maintaining control over traffic movements throughout the day. It caters to a wider variety of road users and supports protected pedestrian crossing facilities. Roundabouts are typically installed at locations where traffic flow is relatively balanced across all legs, which is not the case at this intersection.
  • Request to discourage large trucks from utilising Felton Mathew Avenue. The primary freight route circumvents Felton Mathew Ave. Traffic signal operation can be adjusted to influence driver route selection if necessary.
  • Concerns that vehicles frequently use Felton Mathew Avenue as a short cut to get to St. Johns Road, and that the proposal will exacerbate the issue. Traffic Signals at the intersection of Felton Mathew Ave and St. Johns Rd are warranted on the grounds of traffic volume, road safety and for pedestrian crossing facilities. Traffic signal operation can be adjusted to influence driver route selection if necessary.
  • Suggestion to relocate Bus Stop 7585 slightly southward in order to allow vehicles to easily overtake the stopped bus using the flush median. As shown on the consultation drawing, bus stop 7585 will be relocated further south from its existing position and new bus stop markings will be installed. Additional broken yellow lines will ensure buses can safely manoeuvre into and out of the stop.
  • Request to install speed calming measures to slow vehicles turning from St. Johns Road onto Felton Mathew Avenue. Given the intersection will be signalised and corner is tight, we expect vehicles to inherently slow on approach to the intersection in order to navigate the tight corner. We do not deem speed calming measures to be necessary at this stage.
  • Requests additional works include:
    • Request to implement 'no stopping at all times' restrictions along the southern side of Remuera Road, near Upland Road.
    • Request to construct a raised median strip along Remuera Road to prevent vehicles from using the median as a lane.
    • Request to remove the cycle lane along Ladies Mile.
    • Request to install a roundabout or traffic signals at the intersection of St. Johns Road with Ipswich Place and Truman Street, in order to improve operational and safety issues at this location.
    • Request to relocate the zebra crossing currently outside of 150 St. Johns Road eastward along St. Johns Road.
    • Request to provide improved off-road cycling facilities near this intersection.
    • Concern regarding the ongoing road works at this location and the waste disposal practices of contractors.
    • Request to add "keep clear" road markings on St. Johns Road near the intersection with Gowing Drive in order to improve traffic flow out of Gowing Drive.
    • Request to install broken yellow lines at the intersection of St. Johns Road and Gowing Drive to improve visibility for drivers turning onto St. Johns Road.

This proposal focuses on signalisation of the intersection of St. Johns Road and Felton Mathew Avenue and the introduction of new clearways along St. Johns Road near the St. Heliers Bay Road intersection. While these requests do not fall within the scope of this proposal, we have passed your concerns along to the relevant AT team for further investigation.

Next steps

We expect to introduce this work between July 2018 and June 2019, subject to further changes in design or funding issues.

Contractors will issue 48-hour notices to all affected residents prior to construction work.