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West End Road, Westmere – Raised Zebra Crossing West End Road, Westmere – Raised Zebra Crossing

Proposal status: Feedback is now closed

Reference number: CSFWA1.6B

Proposal outcome

In April 2022, Waitematā Local Board and Auckland Transport proposed changes to address road safety concerns raised by the community on West End Road. After reviewing all the feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed sometime between July 2022 and June 2023. We will be in touch with local residents and businesses prior to any construction taking place.

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge. Respondents told us that these changes would make it safer and easier to cross the road at this location, especially for school children who cross the road in the morning to catch their bus to school. A summary of the additional comments and queries we received, and our responses to them, is below.

Proposed changes

  • Concern that the relocated bus stop is near housing

The proposed bus stop layout has been designed in the safest and most accessible arrangement. By having the stops on the departure side of the crossing we reduce the risk of people getting off the bus and stepping in front of the bus to cross the road. Furthermore, the proposed raised crossing is adjacent to both stops which can be used by all vulnerable road users. We did investigate this arrangement further west along West End Road but due to the intersection with Fife Street and existing driveways this could not be accommodated.

  • Concern that the crossing is a visual overload, and you focus on the speed bumps and forget to look for people crossing

Raised zebra crossings are very common across Auckland so it will be recognisable to most road users. Furthermore, all associated road marking and signage will be implemented to give drivers sufficient warning of the upcoming zebra crossing and speed table.

  • Concern that people will get wet from sea spray at this bus stop location

A new updated bus shelter will be provided at the new location which will protect passengers waiting at this stop.

  • Request to lower the speed limit at this location as it is a school bus route

Making any speed limit changes is a complex legal process that requires us to run a widespread consultation before we can make any changes. It is usually done on a road-by-road basis, using existing NZTA guidelines. These are based on numbers like the average vehicle speeds, crash history, and number of pedestrians walking or being dropped off/picked up outside of a school. Auckland Transport is currently prioritising all schools in Auckland along with rural roads and public requested roads to determine what will be included in the next round of the speed limit review. The second round of speed limit review has started, however, as there is no school within the vicinity of this section of West End Road it has not been included in this round.

Kingsley Street

  • Request to widen the footpath on Kingsley Street at the park entrance as it is dangerous for pram users
  • Request for a similar crossing at the intersection of West End Road and Kingsley Street as it is very wide to cross

The focus of this project is to address the lack of a safe crossing facility on West End Road within the vicinity of the bus stops located around number 73. There have been no reported crashes at this intersection in the last 5 years which suggests that it is currently operating relatively safely compared to other intersections on the Auckland network. Furthermore, we would expect low traffic volumes/demand turning into Kingsley Street given it is blocked off in the middle. Therefore, we cannot justify making changes here as part of this current project.

We're proposing improvements in your area

Waitematā Local Board and Auckland Transport are working together to address road safety concerns raised by the community on West End Road. The proposed crossing aims to improve safety for people walking in the area by slowing approaching traffic and prioritising people.

These changes would also improve accessibility to Cox’s Bay Reserve, the nearby bus stops, and other community facilities nearby. These changes will not result in any loss of parking spaces. 

We are proposing to: 

  • Install a new zebra crossing on a Swedish-style speed table outside 75 West End Road. This speed table will be a flat, wide speed bump with a gentle exit ramp which gives a smoother ride for motorists and passengers.  
  • Extend the footpath at the crossing to provide a shorter distance to cross for pedestrians. 
  • Install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing.  
  • Install new road markings and signage to improve awareness of the crossing to approaching drivers. 
  • Relocate the two existing bus stops to have one on either side of the proposed crossing. 
  • Move the bus shelter on the northern side of the road to the location of the relocated bus stop.  

Download the proposal drawing for West End Road (PDF 949KB).

We previously asked for your views on a similar proposal in May 2020, and in response to community feedback we made changes to the design.

Originally, we proposed to install a new zebra crossing outside 71 West End Road. The neighbourhood expressed support for the need of a safe pedestrian crossing facility, but requested the upgraded crossing be closer to the existing pedestrian island crossing, as we are proposing now.  

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.

Community Safety Fund

This proposal is part of the Community Safety Programme, focused on tackling road safety concerns.  Auckland Transport is partnered with the Waitematā Local Board to deliver this project, as part of more than 80 safety improvement projects across the Auckland region. The Community Safety Fund is a $20 million programme focused on addressing local road safety concerns raised by the community with local boards and ward councillors. 

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

Westmere: 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 West End 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).