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College Road, Northcote – Pedestrian Safety Improvements College Road, Northcote – Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Proposal status: Feedback closed 10 June 2021

Reference number: MIP2122-004

Proposal update

In June 2021 we invited community feedback on our proposal to install two raised zebra crossings near the shopping centre entrance at 30 College Road, Northcote. We advised you in June 2022 that these works were scheduled to be constructed by in the 2022-2023 financial year.

This project now has a construction target of September and December 2022.

Proposal outcome

In May 2021, we proposed changes to improve access and safety for people walking to and from the local shops in College Road, Northcote. After reviewing all the feedback we received, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.  

Community feedback

Raised Zebra Crossings  

  • Concern that raised crossings will increase congestion on College Road and/or Ernie Mays Street. Concern about congestion resulting in frustration for road users. Raised zebra crossings are not believed to increase congestion, and we believe it is important to slow vehicle speeds on approach to crossings to ensure the safety of all road users, particularly those crossing the road. 
  • Belief that College Rd is already sufficiently safe for pedestrians. Belief crossing on Ernie Mays Street is not necessary. Concern that raising a crossing is unnecessary as cars already are required to slow down for a pedestrian crossing. Auckland Transport have received complaints indicating pedestrians feel unsafe crossing College Road, therefore we feel the proposed improvements are necessary to improve pedestrian safety. Raised crossings have been shown to slow vehicle speeds on approach to the crossings, greatly improving the safety of pedestrians. 
  • Suggestion to install crossing on Deuxberry Ave also (near intersection with College Road). Deuxberry Avenue does not have a similar volume of traffic as College Road, and therefore we are prioritising improvements to pedestrian safety in College Road. A crossing on Deuxberry Avenue will not be able to be incorporated as part of this project. 
  • Concern that the crossings would slow down emergency services. Raised zebra crossings are not believed to hinder emergency services. Auckland Transport has received support for these raised crossings from Fire & Emergency New Zealand, indicating that there will be no significant delays experienced by emergency services vehicles due to the crossings. 
  • Concern that crossings will limit ability for vehicles to turn left out of Ernie Mays Street if a vehicle is waiting to turn right into Ernie Mays Street. All movements in and out of Ernie Mays Street will be evaluated as the proposal develops to identify whether any issues arise, and we will resolve these during the detailed design stage.  
     
  • Concern that raised crossings would cause damage to vehicle suspension. Concern about additional road noise for nearby residences as a result of raised crossings. Raised crossings are not found to cause damage to vehicles or significant increases in road noise when travelled over by vehicles at the appropriate speed. 
  • Suggestion to install standard (unraised) zebra crossings instead. The proposal is a raised zebra crossing to slow traffic on approach to the crossings, as flush zebra crossings will not sufficiently slow traffic to make the crossing as safe as possible for pedestrians. 
  • Suggestion to instead install a signalised pedestrian crossing. We believe a raised zebra crossing is the best solution based upon the volume of pedestrians at this location. 
  • Suggestion to move College Road crossing to just North of Deuxberry, straight across from footpath at corner of Ernie Mays/College Rd. Suggestion to position crossing so that it supports a logical flow of foot traffic both now and once the parking lot is replaced with the proposed town centre development. Suggestion to install crossings from both footpaths on either side of Deuxberry Avenue crossing to the car park area. Based on community requests and site investigations, the proposed location of the crossings was found to be optimal for ensuring safety and meeting pedestrian demand. 
  • Suggestion to improve streetlighting at crossing. Improvements to street lighting will be incorporated into the design. 

Cycling Safety Measures 

  • Concern proposal may negatively affect the safety and convenience for cyclists on College Road. This design has been developed to incorporate cyclists and ensure the safety of cyclists is maintained, as there are no pinch points in these crossings posing a risk to cyclists. 
  • Request to include protected cycle lanes as part of project. Protected cycle lanes are outside the scope of this proposal, which aims to improve pedestrian safety. 

Funding 

  • Concern proposal is a waste of taxpayer money. It is believed the benefits to pedestrian safety and access, which will also encourage active modes of transport, will outweigh the costs. 

Footpaths  

  • Request to install footpath alongside the carpark area that borders College Rd. Suggestion to widen footpaths in the area. Request to widen footpath and tighten corner on Ernie Mays Street. New footpaths at this location are outside of the scope of this proposal, however this request will be noted for consideration in the future.

Miscellaneous  

  • Request to include a street trees at the proposal location. This suggestion will be referred to the appropriate team for consideration. 
  • Query how many people have been injured at project location. There have been 7 injury crashes near this proposal location, and we have received community requests asking for pedestrian safety improvements at this location. 
  • Concern around parking removal. Our assessments indicate that there is plenty of nearby parking within the shopping centre. 
  • Concern proposed changes will not encourage public transport usage as public transport is unreliable and not suited to the majority of travel routes. This project will improve pedestrian access to the town centre and improve the safety of people crossing the road. The aim of these changes is to improve pedestrian facilities and safety, which has been shown to result in a greater uptake of public transport usage. The nearby bus stops will be safer and easier for people to walk to once the new crossings are installed. 
  • Suggestion to account for Northcote's new town centre upgrade. Concern that project is not future focused. Concern that congestion will increase in the area after new developments complete and these crossings will make congestion worse. This proposal will be developed with consideration for the town centre development. 

We're proposing improvements in your area

Aucklanders have told us that moving around our city safely and easily is important to them. We are proposing some improvements to your area.

In response to a community request, we are proposing some changes to improve access and safety for people walking to and from the local shops on College Road, in Northcote.

The changes we are proposing:

  • Install a zebra crossing raised to the level of the footpath on College Road, just north of the intersection of College Road and Ernie Mays Street. To break up the journey, this crossing has been designed with a pedestrian island in the middle, allowing a safe place to wait for the road to be clear. This will involve the loss of 6 parking spaces on the southern kerb of College Road.
  • Install a raised zebra crossing on Ernie Mays Street, near the intersection with College Road. This will involve the loss of 2 parking spaces: 1 on the western kerb and 1 on the eastern kerb of Ernie Mays Street.
  • Install tactile pavers at both sides of each crossing. Tactile pavers are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
  • Widen the footpath at the corner of College Road and Ernie Mays Street.
  • Install new signage and paint road markings to reflect these changes.

Download the proposal drawing for College Road (PDF 1.4MB)

These changes aim to improve the safety of all road users on College Road. The raised pedestrian crossings would provide a safe place for people to cross the street and access the local shops and community facilities. As these crossings are raised to the level of the footpath, they improve the visibility of people using the crossing for drivers approaching the crossings and also help to slow vehicle speeds around the crossing points.

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.

More information

Northcote: 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 College 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).