Noel Ave, Orewa - New footpath Noel Ave, Orewa - New footpath

Consultation status: closed 15 June 2018

Proposal reference: FP1617-032

We are proposing a new footpath on Noel Avenue in Orewa, which will include adding a pedestrian crossing on Hibiscus Coast Highway. This proposal involves the removal of approximately 5 car parks to ensure visibility around the crossing.

View the consultation drawing for Noel Avenue (PDF 440KB)

Why the changes are needed

These changes will provide safer and more convenient walking connections to the beach.

Proposal outcome

This project will proceed with minor changes to the next stage of detailed planning. A summary of the community feedback we received and answers to questions and concerns is below. Changes based on this feedback include curving the footpath around the end of the parking area to the existing steps to the beach; as well as shifting the footpath slightly to allow better visibility of vehicles when exiting driveways.

Feedback received

Broken yellow lines outside 448 Hibiscus Coast Highway should be extended by two car lengths to improve safe manoeuvring in and out of property. We have referred the request for additional broken yellow lines to the relevant team in Auckland Transport who will investigate further. Parking directly outside driveways is prohibited. We recommend reporting these infringements to our parking enforcement call centre, which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week: 09 355 3553.
Request for the foundation of the letterbox outside the property be looked at as water is washing it away. Letterbox issues are the responsibility of individual land owners, as they are located on private land.
Relocate pedestrian crossing further south of Noel Avenue, as cars exiting Noel Avenue do not often look left and this causes a safety concern. The pedestrian refuge crossing has been placed a safe distance from Noel Avenue so pedestrians can see approaching vehicles. Moving the crossing further south would be even further from the desirable pedestrian crossing distance for those using the Elizabeth Street walkway to access Noel Avenue. This would result in pedestrians crossing at other unsafe points along the road.
Relocate the proposed pedestrian crossing on Hibiscus Coast Highway opposite the dairy. The proposed crossing is to provide improved pedestrian access between Noel Avenue and the existing walkway to Elizabeth Street. There is already a pedestrian refuge just north of the dairy; a crossing outside the dairy is not recommended as there is no footpath to connect to on the eastern side of Hibiscus Coast Highway.
Request the pedestrian crossing be relocated north of Noel Avenue to be more in line with the dairy, and to allow a wider distance between it and the pedestrian crossing on West Hoe Road. The proposed footpath is on the south side of Noel Avenue, and relocating the crossing further north would result in pedestrians crossing two roads instead of one to reach the footpath. As this would affect pedestrian safety, we do not recommend relocating the pedestrian crossing further north.
Move the footpath closer to the road, so that the grass verge will act as a barrier between vehicles exiting their properties and families walking by. The proposed footpath location is to minimise conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. It is proposed that the parking on Noel Avenue will be formalised; however, if the footpath is relocated as suggested we will be unable to do this, resulting in a loss of parking. Therefore, we do not recommend relocating the footpath closer to the road.
Relocate the footpath to the north side of Noel Avenue, in line with Elizabeth Street to provide better access to the leading to the beach, and continue the path from Noel Avenue to Puriri Avenue. We do not recommend relocating the footpath to the north side of Noel Avenue, as there are fewer driveway crossings at the proposed location which reduces conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. Based on this feedback however, we will alter the design to curve the footpath around from the end of the parking area to the existing steps to the beach, as opposed to ending at a driveway. The suggested footpath from Noel Avenue to Puriri Avenue does not relate directly to this proposal, however it has been listed for future consideration.
The footpath should be relocated closer to the property boundaries to allow cars to park under the trees on the grass verges. The proposed footpath is located near the street due to the presence of trees at the property boundary. As vehicles are not permitted to park on grass verges, we do not recommend the footpath be relocated.
Clearly signpost the parallel parking on Noel Avenue so that parked cars are not restricted from moving by improperly parked cars. Due to the parking area being proposed, we discourage parallel parking on Noel Avenue. As additional parking measures do not relate directly to our proposal, this has been referred to the relevant team in Auckland Transport who will investigate further.
Request for a metre of grass verge on either side of the 5 Noel Avenue driveway to enable safe visibility of vehicles approaching. Based on this feedback, we will alter the design to shift the footpath to allow for a one metre gap. This will result in the parking area being shortened by 0.4 metre.
Request for the parking area on the south side of Noel Avenue to be reinstated. This parking area is being formalised on the south side of Noel Avenue through the creation of the footpath. This can be viewed in the drawing sent as part of consultation.
Implement signage near the section of the proposed footpath where cars often park on the grass verges, as cars will continue to do so if not signposted. As this does not relate directly to our proposal, this has been referred to the relevant team in Auckland Transport who will investigate further. However, we also recommend reporting these infringements to our parking enforcement call centre, which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week: 09 355 3553.
There is concern over the loss of car parking spaces. Car parking is being formalised on Noel Avenue through this proposal, so there will be a net gain of parking spaces. However, restricting parking on the main road is necessary for pedestrian and vehicle visibility, and overall pedestrian safety at the crossing point.
Request the council to provide stormwater collection from the road and parking areas. A new catchpit and connection to a stormwater system is being added as part of this proposal, to allow proper drainage away from the properties and parking area.

Next steps

This work will happen in between August 2018 and December 2019, but we will let you know if there are further changes or delays.

Our contractors will send notices to affected residents 48-hours prior to construction starting.