Oteha Valley Road and Harrowglen Drive, Northcross - Intersection signalisation Oteha Valley Road and Harrowglen Drive, Northcross - Intersection signalisation

Traffic calming

• Concerns that vehicles frequently travel in excess of the posted speed limit along Oteha Valley Road. This project aims to address safety issues at the intersection of Harrowglen Drive and Oteha Valley Road, in Northcross. Investigations into further safety improvements along Oteha Valley Road are currently underway, the results of which are likely to be consulted on in the first half of 2019. We appreciate your feedback, which we will take into consideration in conducting our investigations for the Oteha Valley Road corridor.
• Request for the speed limits to be consistent along the length of Oteha Valley Road, to avoid confusion. Request for larger speed limit signs on Oteha Valley Road. Speed limits at this location are currently being reviewed as part of our more comprehensive investigation into safety along the length of Oteha Valley Road.
• Request for speed cameras along Oteha Valley Road. Speed cameras are typically considered on a regional basis in conjunction with the NZ Police. However, we can consider installation of electronic speed display signs (driver feedback signs) and measures to encourage a more appropriate speed while maintaining the function and operation of Oteha Valley Road as part of the speed limit review.

Pedestrian facilities

• Concerns over a lack of pedestrian facilities on the slip lanes at the intersection of East Coast Road and Oteha Valley Road. We are currently investigating the level of service and safety around pedestrian facilities at the intersection of East Coast and Oteha Valley Roads as part of a separate project. We expect that these improvements will be consulted on during the 2019 calendar year.
• Request to widen the footpath and put in a barrier fence between Mayfair retirement village and the intersection with East Coast Road (along the southern side of Oteha Valley Road). Footpaths at this location are 1.8 metres wide, which meet current standards outlined in the Auckland Transport Code of Practice. We do not recommend barrier fences as these can encourage higher traffic speeds and can cause pedestrians to become trapped within the traffic lane when they attempt to cross the road. Any improvements will be undertaken as part of the Oteha Valley Road corridor investigations.
• Concern that the proposal is missing pedestrian crossing facilities on the western leg. Proposed locations for the pedestrian crossings have been determined based on demonstrated demand, as measured through pedestrian counts. As such, we believe the locations as proposed will provide good level of service for pedestrians at this location. We will ensure that the design is future-proofed so that if the demand increases, we can install a crossing at this location.
• Request for additional crossing facilities on Oteha Valley Road outside of Oteha Valley School. Improvements near Oteha Valley School cannot be incorporated into this project. However, there is a separate project planned at the intersection with Medallion Drive for which consultation will begin in 2019.
• Request for the footpath along the northern edge of Oteha Valley Road to be widened and to be better separated from fast-moving vehicle traffic. Further safety investigations are underway for the length of Oteha Valley Road and the outcomes of this investigations will be available in the first half of 2019.
• Suggestion that there are adequate crossing facilities at the intersection with East Coast Road and that this proposal is not needed. The new crossing is located mid-way between other crossings on Oteha Valley Road and serves to connect local residents with the highly frequented public transport service. It is unreasonable to expect people to make a considerable detour to access a safe pedestrian crossing point.

Public transportation

• Request to improve access to public transportation within the Harrowglen development. All properties are within a reasonable distance of Oteha Valley Road, allowing easy access to public transportation.
• Concern that pedestrians have to cross Oteha Valley Road to transfer between buses going to and from Albany. The new signalised intersection as proposed will create safe crossing points for pedestrians to easily access bus stops on either side of Oteha Valley Road.
• Request for the bus stop to be indented so as to avoid conflict with cyclists and traffic. As standard practice, all bus stops are now designed to be within the traffic lane rather than indented. Indented bus stops do not provide priority for buses and would likely result in significant delays to bus routes. We therefore are unable to consider this request.
• Concern that given the location of the proposed bus stop, buses will cause a bottleneck that extends through the intersection. Buses do not remain at the stop for long periods of time, rather just enough time to pick up and drop off public transport users. Therefore, we expect that the impact on traffic will be minimal.
• Request to construct a new bus shelter and signage at the bus stop, as it is frequently missed by public transport users and bus drivers New signage and bus markings will be included in the final design. Although a new shelter is not proposed at this time, your request has been forwarded on to the AT Metro team for investigation. This bus stop is temporarily not in use until the intersection is upgraded to provide safe crossing for public transport users.

Cycling facilities

• Concerns that Oteha Valley Road has limited cycle facilities. Investigations into further safety improvements along Oteha Valley Road are currently underway, the results of which are likely to be consulted on in 2019. These investigations will consider safety for all road users, including people walking and on bikes.
• Request to add a cycle lane along Oteha Valley Road without reducing the width of existing traffic lanes. Requests for protected cycle lanes along Oteha Valley Road. As a result of limited road width, we cannot accommodate cycle lanes without reducing the number of traffic lanes. Although this request cannot be incorporated into this project, the design will now include advanced stop boxes (ASBs) on all legs to better serve people on bikes. Further investigations are being carried out along Oteha Valley Road which will consider safety improvements for all road users, including people walking and people on bikes.
• Concerns that changes need to be made to Oteha Valley Road that align with the Northern Corridor Improvement project and the future northern cycleway. Investigations are being carried out along Oteha Valley Road which will consider safety improvements for all road users, including people walking and people on bikes.

Road widening

• Concern that kerb changes at the entrance to Harrowglen Drive will pose issues for larger vehicles. All necessary vehicle tracking checks and modelling have been undertaken, which confirm that large vehicles will have sufficient width to manoeuvre.
• Concern that road widening will create a more hazardous situation for people walking and on bikes. The design has been refined and will no longer include widening at the mouth of Harrowglen Drive. We have also incorporated advanced stop boxes (ASBs) to better serve people on bikes.

Congestion

• Concerns that the proposal will exacerbate congestion issues along Oteha Valley Road and further west into Albany. Traffic modelling confirms that the proposed signalisation will have a minimal impact on traffic congestion along Oteha Valley Road.
• Request to add an additional motorway on/off ramp further north to serve the Long Bay area to reduce the amount of traffic traveling along Oteha Valley Road. Motorways fall under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

Flush median

• Concerns that the proposed traffic median island will restrict the merging of traffic turning right from Harrowglen Drive onto Oteha Valley Road Right turning traffic will not need to merge as traffic coming out of Harrowglen Drive will be controlled by new traffic signals.
• Requests to maintain the flush median on the western leg of Oteha Valley Road. The flush median near to the intersection will be removed to make clear the correct traffic lane for drivers to use.

Noise pollution

• Concern that the high friction surfacing will create unnecessary road noise which will negatively impact residents. The high friction surface is flush with the road surface and does not make excessive road noise.

Signal phasing

• Concerns over the short distance between traffic lights at this intersection and intersections with East Coast Road and Fields Parade. Enquiry as to whether the lights will be synchronised with those at nearby intersections. The distance between intersections is over 300 metres in either direction, which is a sufficient distance so as not to create confusion for drivers. Traffic light phasing at the intersection with Harrowglen Drive will be coordinated and optimised based on the existing traffic signal network.
• Request that the phasing of traffic lights be long enough to allow traffic to easily exit Harrowglen Drive. The phasing of the intersection will be optimised to allow time for traffic existing Harrowglen Drive.

Broken yellow lines

• Request to install broken yellow lines on both sides of Harrowglen Drive from this intersection to the intersection with Lakeridge Close to prevent bottle-necking. Our investigations do not suggest that further parking restrictions are required in order to ensure the safe operation of the intersection.
• Request to install broken yellow lines around the bend outside 9 Keating Rise in order to improve access, visibility, and safety. Request to install broken yellow lines around where the road divider begins on the western end around 20 and 37 Keating Rise in order to improve access, visibility, and safety. This project addresses safety concerns at the intersection of Harrowglen Road and Oteha Valley Road. This request will be investigated as a separate issue.

Driver awareness

• Request to better highlight the speed bumps along Harrowglen Drive with further road markings. There are advisory signs already in place on Harrowglen Drive to warn drivers of upcoming speed humps.
• Request to add convex mirrors on roads around the Northcross intersection to improve visibility for drivers.
• We no longer install convex mirrors as they can give a false sense of distance and speeds of oncoming vehicles, creating safety risks.
• Request for better Advanced Directional Signage (ADS) for the East Coast Road intersection further down Oteha Valley Road to give drivers adequate warning. This project addresses the issues at the intersection of Harrowglen Road and Oteha Valley Road. Signage nearby the intersection will be reviewed as part of this project. Signs located significant distances can be reviewed as part of the comprehensive investigations underway for the length of Oteha Valley Road.

Timeframe

• Requests for the proposal to be introduced immediately We expect that work will be introduced in the first half of 2019.

Alternative proposal

• Request to install a roundabout at this intersection, rather than traffic lights. A roundabout would require additional road space than is available. As a result of the difficulties in constructing a roundabout of sufficient size and the difficulties in providing safe facilities for all road users. A roundabout is not a feasible option at this location.

Slip lane

• Request for a raised table zebra crossing on the slip lane from Oteha Valley Road to East Coast Road (N). We are currently investigating the level of service and safety around pedestrian facilities at the intersection of East Coast and Oteha Valley Roads as part of a separate project. We expect that these improvements will be consulted on in the 2019 calendar year.
• Request to remove the slip lane altogether as it poses safety hazards for pedestrians and cyclists. Based on the feedback received, we have decided to remove the slip lane and associated raised table from the final proposal.