Bell Road and Fern Place, Beachlands – Broken yellow lines Bell Road and Fern Place, Beachlands – Broken yellow lines

Proposal status: closed 6 September 2018

Reference number: BYL-310

We're proposing changes in your area

We are proposing to install new 'No stopping at all times' parking on sections of Bell Road and Fern Place, Beachlands. This will also involve refreshing and relocating current road markings and relocating current ‘Children’ and ‘School’ signs.

Download the proposal drawing for Bell Road and Fern Place (PDF 1.1MB) 

Why the changes are needed

We are working with Beachlands School to improve visibility and safety in the area. These changes will improve visibility and provide a safer crossing environment for the schoolchildren. Parked cars along Fern Place, particularly at school pick-up and drop-off, have been restricting visibility and access for other vehicles.

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.

The proposal has been refined to no longer include the installation of broken yellow lines along the length of Fern Place, however to we will be installing broken yellow lines along the corners where the cul-de-sac meets Bell Road. The rest of the proposal will be unchanged.

For further details of the changes please view the updated drawing (PDF 1.1MB)

Feedback received

  • We received multiple requests not to install broken yellow lines along the inside of Fern Place and multiple concerns about the effect that they would have on the local community, residents and their visitors should they be installed.
    As a result of this community feedback we will not be installing broken yellow lines along the inside of the cul-de-sac, but we will still install them on the corners where the road meets Bell Road. We believe that this will provide improved access and visibility for drivers whilst maintaining the valuable on-street parking for residents of Fern Place.
  • Suggestion for more parking enforcement in the area.
    We will be working with the school and our enforcement team on improving the enforcement in the area. Meanwhile, if you see anyone parking illegally please call us anytime on 09 355 3553 with vehicle details and enforcement shall be organised.
  • Request for additional signage to accompany the broken yellow lines as there is a concern that some road users ignore them/cannot see them.
    It’s not standard for us to install signage around parking restrictions like these as road users should be aware of the New Zealand Road Code, however we will monitor the situation and should these issues occur then we will investigate a solution. We will also be working to improve parking enforcement within the area.
  • Request to install Children Playing and Children Crossing signs at Fern Place.
    We don’t have a Children Playing sign and the closest we have would be the Children Crossing sign, however we generally only install Children Crossing signs at the frontage of Schools, and these are currently in place on Bell Road around the school. As well as this Fern Place is a cul-de-sac with low traffic volumes and speeds, so we wouldn’t consider them to be necessary here.
  • Suggestion for a Give Way sign and a white limit line at the end of Fern Place.
    As this is a local road intersection and Fern Place being a cul-de-sac with generally low volumes of traffic we believe there is little need for a Give Way sign or white limit line. Priority at this intersection is clear and there is a good safety record here.
  • Concern about potential parking congestion from the proposed day-care centre on Bell Road.
    Auckland Council would have assessed the impact of the Day Care Centre proposal though the resource consent process and suggested mitigations accordingly. If you have any concerns about the impact it will have then please contact Auckland Council.
  • Request for broken yellow lines to be extend to the frontage of 11 Bell road as cars have been parking over the driveway, blocking access and visibility, and doing 3-point turns on the driveway.
    All drivers are expected to and should be aware of the NZ Road Code, and therefore should be aware that parking over a driveway is illegal. We currently do not want to remove any further parking in the area but we will be arranging more parking enforcement here. As a result, anyone who is seen to park illegally will have the appropriate measures taken against them. Meanwhile, should you see anyone parking illegally please call us anytime on 09 355 3553 with vehicle details and enforcement shall be organised, should this become a recurring situation we will investigate further solutions.
  • Request for existing refuge island to be moved away from the driveway of 14 Bell Road as when car pulls in to open gate it causes other vehicles on road to be blocked.
    The refuge island is in the current desired crossing path for school children and families and other pedestrians, and our vehicle tracking hasn’t identified any serious issues with blockages or congestion. As a result we don’t want to move the refuge island however we will keep this feedback in consideration if the crossing were to be upgraded in the future.
  • Comment that residents weren’t given an opportunity to give feedback for the installation of the existing refuge island on Bell Road.
    Our records show that this refuge island was installed before the formation of Auckland Transport, as a result we cannot confirm the level of community engagement that took place for this refuge island.

Next steps

​This work will happen between now and June 2019, but we will let you know if there are further changes or delays. Our contractors will notify all affected residents 48-hours prior to construction starting.