Skip to main content

Hibiscus Coast Highway, Hatfields Beach – Pedestrian improvements Hibiscus Coast Highway, Hatfields Beach – Pedestrian improvements

Proposal status: Feedback closed 28 July 2020, last updated 9 November 2021.

Reference number: CSFB1.3

Proposal update

In July 2020, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and Auckland Transport invited community feedback on our proposal to make pedestrian safety improvements on Hibiscus Coast Highway on either approach to Hatfield's Beach. This project is going ahead, but the construction timeframe has been updated.

Next steps

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on AT and the wider Auckland Council whānau. As a result, Auckland Council implemented an Emergency Budget which reduced AT’s capital and operating budgets, and we were not able to estimate a construction date at the close of the consultation last year.

Funding has now been secured for this project and construction is now planned to begin in November 2021. We will be in touch with local residents and businesses prior to any construction taking place.

In July 2020, we proposed changes in your area

To improve pedestrian safety, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and Auckland Transport proposed to install pedestrian refuge islands and construct new footpaths on 544 Hibiscus Coast Highway.

We are proposing to:

  • construct new footpaths to improve pedestrian access.
  • build new traffic islands to provide a formal crossing point and shorten the crossing distance.
  • install new signs to improve road safety.
  • install red road surfacing and rumble strips to alert drivers to changes in speed.
  • install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.

Download the original proposal drawing for Hibiscus Coast Highway (PDF 1.3MB) 

Proposal outcome

The proposal will proceed with minor changes to the next stage of detailed design. We have listened to your concerns and have removed the rumble strips from the design.

Download the updated proposal drawing for Hibiscus Coast Highway (PDF 1.3MB) 

Thank you to everyone who responded to our proposal and gave us the chance to better understand your community and concerns. A summary of your feedback and our responses to community questions is below.

Focus on road safety - Community Safety Fund

The Community Safety Programme is focused on tackling road safety concerns. This programme is dependent on the level of funding AT receives from Auckland Council. Unfortunately this year, funding has been constrained due to the impact of Covid-19. Planning and design will continue but currently many projects cannot be delivered in the 2020/2021 financial year.

This proposal is also supported by the Auckland regional fuel tax.

Hatfields Beach: 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 Hibiscus Coast Highway 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).

Community feedback

  • Respondent concerned that the proposed rumble strips will only increase the noise levels. We appreciate your concern and have since decided to remove the rumble strip from the proposal.
  • Request for a footpath to be constructed between Hammond Road and Otanerua Road to improve safety. Encouraging more people to walk is a key part of our transport strategy. Auckland Transport supports walking and invests in footpaths as part of making Auckland a desirable place to live. AT has a footpath budget that is designed to complete minor gaps in the existing walking network to provide for improved walkability in communities. We maintain a list of footpath requests received from the public and at present it contains approximately over 700 requests. We can confirm that a request to install a footpath between Hammon Road and Otanerua is currently on this list. However, in the past year we have received around 100 requests alone and therefore have to prioritise our investment.
  • Request for more speed limit signs to be installed. This section of Hibiscus Coast Highway has had the speed limit recently reduced to 60km/h. Vehicle speeds are currently being monitored and if necessary, the installation of further infrastructure will be considered.