Sunnynook Road, Forrest Hill - Pedestrian crossings Sunnynook Road, Forrest Hill - Pedestrian crossings

Proposal status: Feedback closed 22 November 2019, last updated 25 November 2020

Reference number: CSFD1.2

Proposal update - 25 November 2020

We let you know you in November 2019 that these works were scheduled to be constructed by June 2020. Unfortunately, construction of these projects did not go ahead due to the impact of Covid-19. Three of the crossings are part of the Safe School Programme and the crossing at 145 Sunnynook Road is part of the Community Safety Fund Programme. Both programmes are dependent on the level of funding we receive from Auckland Council. This year funding has been reduced due to Covid-19. Planning and design will continue but currently many projects cannot be delivered in the 2020/2021 financial year.

This project now has a construction target of the 2021/22 financial year. We’ll let you know again next year more details about the commencement of works, as construction is subject to budget availability.

We're making changes in your area

In November 2019, we proposed new pedestrian crossings at several locations on Sunnynook Road in Forest Hill. Our proposal responded to requests from the community to improve crossing facilities for people walking to schools, sports grounds, houses and shopping centres. This project is supported by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and the Community Safety Fund where AT is partnering with elected representatives to deliver over 80 local road safety projects across the Auckland region. The details about changes to the specific crossings are outlined below.

At 145 Sunnynook Road we are proposing to:

Install a pedestrian crossing with traffic signals. We want to make it easier for people to catch the bus by providing a safer way to cross this road, especially during peak traffic times.
Add high-friction surfacing to slow the vehicles speeds before the crossing.

Alongside the new signal crossing, we will also repaint the broken yellow line parking restrictions next to the bus stops on the north and south side of the road as the existing painted lines are confusing for drivers.

At 19 Sunnynook Road we are proposing to:

install a new zebra crossing on a raised platform that is level with the footpath. This will improve pedestrian access and safety by lowering traffic speeds at the crossing
extend existing broken yellow lines on Morton Avenue and Sunnynook Road to make sure that parked cars do not block the view of the new crossing, pedestrians and nearby intersections
paint new broken yellow line parking restrictions on Tobago Place to prevent parked cars from blocking the road where it narrows
relocate two trees to provide enough space to build the pedestrian crossing.

Altogether this involves removing 18 car parking spaces from these roads.

At 49 Sunnynook Road we are proposing to:

install a new zebra crossing on a platform that is level with the footpath
remove the existing pedestrian crossing outside 45 Sunnynook Road as it is located on a dangerous bend in the road.

At 85 Sunnynook Road we are proposing to:

install a new zebra crossing on a platform that is level with the footpath
extend broken yellow lines outside 81 and 83 Sunnynook Road to make the crossing safer by making sure parked cars do not block the view of the new pedestrian crossing. This involves removing two car parks.

All proposed pedestrian crossings have new streetlights, tactile pavers, new road markings and signs to improve visibility for people driving and walking. In addition, footpaths will be slightly altered to improve access onto the pedestrian crossings.

Download the proposal drawing for Sunnynook Road (PDF 4.4MB)

Community Safety Fund

This proposal is part of the Community Safety Fund. Auckland Transport is partnered with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board to deliver this project, as part of more than 80 safety improvement projects across the Auckland region. The Community Safety Fund is a $20 million programme focused on addressing local road safety concerns raised by the community to local boards and ward councillors.

Vision Zero

This proposal is part of our Vision Zero for Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland. Vision Zero is an ambitious new transport safety vision that states that there will be no deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050. Vision Zero acknowledges that as people we all make mistakes; a mistake should not mean someone dies or is seriously injured on our roads. It’s also an approach that values everyone using the road, not just those in vehicles.

Proposal outcome - 20 January 2020

The pedestrian crossings will proceed to the next stage of detailed planning before being painted on the road. 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.

Community feedback

Respondent is concerned that drivers will fail to slow down at the corner of 46 Sunnynook. They would like a safety barrier installed along the right side of Sunnynook Road after the corner. Drivers approaching and exiting the raised zebra crossing outside 49 Sunnynook Road will be slowed down due to the raised table. There have been no reported incidences of vehicles running off the road onto the footpath at this location to justify the installation of a safety barrier. There are several driveways along this section of road and installing a safety barrier would not be possible. Due to these reasons, we will not be installing safety barrier.
Request to repair broken footpath outside 42 Sunnynook Road as it is currently dangerous. We have requested our maintenance team to inspect and upgrade any damaged footpaths in the area.
Request to install a footpath on both sides of Tobago Place to allow school children safe access to school. There is an existing footpath from Sunnynook Road to the school on one side of Tobago Place. Tobago Place is a short cul-de-sac and building a new footpath on the other side of the road is not an immediate priority. We will add an additional footpath to our footpaths programme for prioritisation.
Request to install new footpath from 49 Sunnynook Road to 47 Sunnynook Road. We have requested our maintenance team to investigate whether a new footpath is required to be installed between 47 and 49 Sunnynook Road.
Request to install a pedestrian crossing on Sycamore Drive, there is currently a pedestrian island, but is not particularly safe or accessible. Cars currently turn off Sunnynook Road onto Sycamore Drive at speed. The intersection at Sunnynook Road and Sycamore Drive has been identified for improvements as a separate project in the future. In the investigation we will consider the building of a pedestrian crossing.
Request to move pedestrian crossing to make it easier to turn right out of Tobago Place and Morton Avenue. Tracking of vehicles into and out of Tobago Place and Morton Avenue were checked when designing the crossing. We understand that the proposed crossing location will not have any conflict with the turning movements.
Requests that all pedestrian crossings are flush with the road and not raised as they will slow traffic down significantly. Recent speed data gathered along the Sunnynook Road show that vehicles are travelling at high speeds. There are schools, a kindergarten, a park, and a shopping centre that attracts pedestrians, including people with accessibility issues. The objective of this project is to provide safer crossing points along Sunnynook Road and to slow speed vehicle speeds. The raised crossings slow down vehicle speeds, creating a safer environment for all users. We believe that flush pedestrian crossings would not slow vehicles down as effectively as raised crossings.
Request that raised platforms are not too steep, causing damage to vehicles. he raised crossings are designed to slow down vehicle speeds. There will be speed hump signs with an advisory speed limit on each approach to the crossings. Driving over the tables at this speed will not cause damage to vehicles.
Instead of installing pedestrian crossing at 49 Sunnynook Road the respondent proposes installing traffic signals at the intersection of Trinidad Road. This would control traffic and pedestrians through traffic signals. The respondent sites significant vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The proposed crossing outside 49 Sunnnynook Road caters to parents and kids walking to and from the kindergarten at 50 Sunnynook Road. Our investigations have shown that several people are choosing to cross at this point on the road. In addition, the raised crossing helps slow down vehicles speeds approaching the corner. Due to these reasons, the proposed crossing option and location was selected.
Multiple requests to extend broken yellow lines all the way down Tobago Place and in the cul-de-sac, because of visibility, access and safety issues We are proposing broken yellow lines along the narrow section of Tobago Place to improve accessibility. Cars can park on both sides of the wider section of the road and still allow one-way flow of traffic. On-street parking is well utilized by parents picking up and dropping off their kids and by residents and their visitors. We believe the proposed extent of parking restrictions are enough to improve accessibility while providing as much on-street parking as possible.
Request to provide for safe school drop-off and pick-up parking given removal of parking spaces on Tobago Place. The reason for the removal of parking along the narrow section of Tobago Place is to improve accessibility and traffic flows during school opening and closing times. Parents can still utilise on-street parking along the wide section of Tobago Place to drop-off and pick-up kids. There are also sufficient parking spaces along Sunnynook Road. We will not be installing a dedicated school pick-up and drop-off zone on Tobago Place. The proposed changes on Sunnynook Road provide safe crossing facilities to get to and from the school. This aligns with Auckland Transport’s goal to support and encourage active transport and use of public transport for the journey to and from school. This is to support both road safety outcomes outside the school gate and reduce congestion on the network.
Concern about losing significant amount of parking on Tobago Place without any others being made available. The broken yellow lines are proposed along the narrow section of Tobago Place to improve accessibility. There is congestion during school opening and closing times. Emergency vehicles, such and ambulances and fire trucks, will have difficulty getting through in an emergency. Therefore, we believe the proposed extent of broken yellow lines are beneficial. Parents, residents and visitors can still use the parking spaces available along the wide section of Tobago Place as well as the on-street parking on Sunnynook Road.
Removal of parking at 145 Sunnynook Road has not been included in the drawing. The 4 existing P5 parking spaces will remain. However, the length of the parking spaces is reduced to upgrade the bus stop markings to the latest standards. These changes are needed to provide the manoeuvring space needed for buses to enter and exit the bus bays.
Concern over lack of use of proposed 145 traffic signal crossing will cause significant delay to the already busy Sunnynook Road. During site visits, we observed commuters walking to and from the Sunnynook Bus Station and the bus stops on Sunnynook Road cross the road at this location. People have difficulty finding a safe gap to cross due to the large volumes of vehicles travelling along this section of road at relatively high speeds. The traffic signal crossing is where our investigations have shown that several people are choosing to cross at this point on the road. The traffic signal phasing will be programmed to reduce the delays to a minimum during the peak hours while providing opportunity for people to cross the road.
Request that the crossing at 145 Sunnynook Road is on a raised platform to improve safety. It is difficult to accommodate a raised platform at this location due to the limited space available to accommodate the length of platform required for use by buses. Also, the signalised crossing is located very close to the two bus bays. Manoeuvring a bus into and out of the bays in the vicinity of a raised crossing generally creates issues for both drivers and affects level of comfort of bus patrons. A raised crossing will put stress on the bridge due to the weight of the additional material needed to build the crossing. Due to these reasons, the crossing cannot be raised.
Request to install a railing on the bridge to prevent people from crossing before the pedestrian crossing. Installing a guard rail along the footpath on the bridge would reduce the width available on the footpath. This would be an issue for people in wheelchairs and parents with prams. The proposed traffic signal crossing will encourage people to cross at this location as it a much safer crossing point. We will not be installing a guard rail on the bridge.
Keep current ‘school’ and ‘slow-down’ sign on the roadside of 43 Sunnynook Road. These signs will remain.
Request that stones used are small and are regularly swept to ensure that they do not end up on the footpath or get into cars breaks. The proposed crossings will be built with concrete. There will not be any loose stones used in construction.