Sandspit Road and Sommerville Road, Shelly Park – Cyclist and Pedestrian Safety Sandspit Road and Sommerville Road, Shelly Park – Cyclist and Pedestrian Safety

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: 20100252

Proposal outcome

In April 2022, we proposed changes to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety by upgrading the existing pedestrian crossing facility on Sandspit Road and Sommerville Road in Shelly Park.  

After reviewing all the feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed 

These works will help support our Vision Zero goal. This proposal is supported with funding from the Auckland regional fuel tax. 

What happens next  

We anticipate the changes will be constructed between July 2022 and June 2023.

We will be in touch with local residents prior to any construction taking place. 

Community feedback 

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge. Most of the respondents, despite raising some concerns, were clearly supportive of the proposal.

The following is a  summary of the additional comments and queries we received, and our responses to them. 

  • Concern about parking spaces that will be lost due to the proposal
    The proposed loss of parking spaces is required to achieve clear lines of sight between pedestrians at the crossing and motorists approaching the crossing from Sandspit Road. It will ensure that visibility of pedestrians to drivers will not be obstructed by parked vehicles. 
  • Concern that the speeding happens on Sommerville Road and not Sandspit Road
    We have noted your concerns and will monitor if speeding is an issue along Sommerville Road. There have been four injury crashes at this intersection. Therefore, we proposed these changes to improve the safety of vulnerable road users at this intersection so further crashes do not occur. 
  • Request to not narrow the road further, especially the little space at the end of the intersection where congestion happens during school rush hours
    The proposed narrowing of Sandspit Road is to reduce turning speeds. As Sandspit Road is on a bus route, bus tracking has been checked to confirm buses will be able to turn in and out of Sandspit Road. 

We're proposing improvements in your area

We are proposing to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety on Sandspit Road and Sommerville Road, Shelly Park, by upgrading the existing pedestrian crossing facility.

We are proposing to:

  • Upgrade the existing pedestrian island near the corner of Sandspit Road and Somerville Road to a Swedish-style zebra crossing. This crossing is on a raised table which is flat and wide, with a gradual slope at one end that will make it more comfortable for all vehicles to travel over, including larger vehicles such as emergency services, buses, and large trucks.
  • Install Belisha beacons, or orange-coloured discs, to provide additional visibility, especially at night.
  • Install tactile pavers at the approach to the crossing. Tactile pavers are yellow guidance paving markers that help visually impaired people find their way to the crossings, and safely across the road.
  • Paint broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) outside 91 and 104 Sandspit Road to achieve visibility between pedestrians and motorists approaching the crossing location. This will remove a total of 6 on-street parking spaces on Sandspit Road.
  • Install signage to inform pedestrians and drivers of the new raised crossing.

Download the proposal drawing for Sandspit Road and Sommerville Road (PDF 592kB)

These changes will reduce drivers' speeds, particularly as they approach the intersection, and will guide drivers to give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing.

The proposal aims to ensure that clear visibility between drivers and pedestrians is maintained and reduce the risk of cycling-related accidents in the area.

Give your feedback

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.

Shelly Park: 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 Sandspit Road and Sommerville 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).