Sunnynook Road, Sunnynook - Pedestrian refuge Sunnynook Road, Sunnynook - Pedestrian refuge

Pedestrian safety

• Request that the proposal take into account pupils of Wairau Intermediate as well as Sunnynook will be using this crossing. We are doing a study of Sunnynook Road and as part of this study we will be investigating pedestrian crossing options at other locations along Sunnynook Road.
• Concern that existing pedestrian crossing further down Sunnynook Road is not safe enough due to its placement on a corner and limited signage. As part of the redesign for this project we will also be investigating this crossing outside of 48 Sunnynook Road and exploring improvements.
• Requests to upgrade the proposed pedestrian refuge:
  • Multiple requests for a Zebra pedestrian crossing
  • Concern that school children are too young and inexperienced to use this kind of crossing safely
  • Respondent states that they have witnessed near-misses involving children & cars at this location and is very concerned that we are cutting corners by installing a refuge island and not a Zebra crossing.
  • Concerns that a refuge island would not provide adequate space or safety for pedestrians including school children.
  • Concern over Health and Safety aspect of the project and suggestion that a deeper investigation is needed.

Thank you for expressing your concerns. As a result of public feedback, we are investigating alternative pedestrian crossing options at this location.

Traffic speeds and volumes

• Concerns over high vehicle speeds and heavy traffic volumes along Sunnynook Road. We will be investigating options to slow down vehicles on Sunnynook Road when doing the redesign. Sunnynook Road is classified as a collector road, with the intended purpose of leading traffic between local roads and major arterial routes. This type of road is expected to receive greater amounts of traffic than a residential road.
• Request for speed limits to be adjusted and lowered as a school zone. 40km/h school zone speed limits are imposed only on the stretch of road where the main gate of the school gate is. Sunnynook Primary School's main entrance is on Lyford Crescent. Therefore, we are not able to implement a school zone on this section of Sunnynook Road.
• Request for speed calming measures. We will investigate options to slow down vehicles on Sunnynook Road when doing the redesign.

School buses

• Request for a solution for school buses and the difficulty they have in turning be put in place. The main aim of this proposal is to improve the pedestrian crossing facilities along Sunnynook Road, this will be passed onto the appropriate team and investigated further.
• Respondent hopes that this proposal will remedy the situation of school buses parking over their driveway. School buses or any other vehicles parking across a driveway is illegal. We will raise this issue with the bus service.

Extra crossings

• Suggestion to install further crossing points along Sunnynook Road. ​We are doing a study of Sunnynook Road and as part of this study we will be investigating pedestrian crossing options at other locations along Sunnynook Road.

Parking removal

• Concern that the broken yellow lines will remove too much popular on-street parking for community and that vehicles which usually park in the proposed broken yellow lines area will have nowhere to park. The removal of parking on either side of the crossing facility is required to provide the required sight distances for pedestrians crossing the road and approaching drivers. We believe there is adequate on-street parking spaces available in the area to accommodate the demand.
• Concern that this proposal would removal a popular parking space outside of number 24 Sunnynook Road. The parking space outside property #24 needs to be removed to provide the required sight distances for pedestrians crossing the road and northbound traffic on Sunnynook Road. We believe there is adequate on-street parking spaces available in the area that can be utilised.

Move crossing location

• Suggestion to move crossing further down Sunnynook Road, away from side streets with shorter broken yellow lines. ​The proposed location is within the desire line of pedestrians, specially school kids and parents walking to and from the school. If the crossing was moved further away from the desire line, it is likely that pedestrians will continue to cross at this location instead of using the safe crossing point.

Signage

• Request for new signage to alert driver that they are approaching a crossing and travelling near a school. ​New signs to alert the drivers of the crossing will be installed as part of the project. There are also a number of existing signs along the stretch of Sunnynook Road to alert the drivers of school children crossing the road.

Need for this project

• Concern that there is little need for this crossing due to respondent observing low numbers of children crossing at this point and existing zebra crossing further down the road. ​During site visits we observed a substantial number of pedestrians, mostly young school children and parents, crossing at this location despite the lack of crossing facilities. Providing a safe crossing point is essential to improve pedestrian safety. The existing crossing outside 48 Sunnynook Road is approximately 230 metres away, which is too far from the school’s rear gate on Tobago Place.

Additional comments/concerns

• Suggestion to improve children's road education and awareness so that they understand how to safely use a refuge island and other crossings. Our Community Transport Coordinators (CTC’s) organise events to educate school children about road safety. Your comments will be passed onto the appropriate team.
• Suggestion that this proposal be part of a large Sunnynook upgrade to improve pedestrian safety generally. We are doing a study of Sunnynook Road and as part of this study we will be investigating pedestrian crossing options at other locations along Sunnynook Road.
• Respondents feel that a full pedestrian crossing will build an active and healthy school community; creating more alternative transport such as the Walking School Bus & reducing congestion. Resulting in healthier happier school children, parents and caregivers. ​These comments will be addressed when doing the redesign.