Edward Avenue and Ashton Avenue, Ōtara – School safety upgrades Edward Avenue and Ashton Avenue, Ōtara – School safety upgrades

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: 20100588

Proposal outcome

In October 2022, Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board and Auckland Transport proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety for the local schools in the neighbourhood. After reviewing all the feedback we received, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland’s Vision Zero goal.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed in April 2023 for the Bairds Mainfreight Primary School raised crossing, and June 2023 for the Ashton Ave speed bumps. We will be in touch with residents prior to any construction taking place.

Community feedback

Our responses to community questions are below.

  • Suggestion that removing 10 parking spaces is unnecessary, and that you don’t need to stop parking at all times, as the main times of concern are before and after school.

We understand that the removal of parking can be inconvenient, so we have minimised it as much as possible. However, some parking must be removed to meet visibility requirements between approaching cars and pedestrians using the crossing. Despite the peak times being before and after school as mentioned, the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board have expressed their interest in having a full-time crossing facility, meaning it must operate in a safe manner at all times.

  • Suggestion that 6 more speed bumps of Ashton Ave is too many, 2 would be enough, especially as it is a bendy road that you cannot speed on.

We’ve investigated what would be required to lower the speeds on Ashton Ave to the target speed of 30km/h and found that 6 new speed bumps are necessary to reach slower and safer speeds.

  • Concern that motorbikes won’t slow down on the speed bumps and will go on the footpath to avoid them.

This is unlikely because it would be uncomfortable and less direct for a motorbike rider to move onto the footpath to avoid speed bumps. It’s easier for them to stay within the traffic lane and travel over the speed bump.  After the project is complete, the presence of multiple speed bumps rather than only the two existing ones may deter this sort of behaviour.


We're proposing improvements in your area

Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board and Auckland Transport are proposing safety upgrades on Edward Avenue and Ashton Avenue.

Changes proposed on Edward Avenue:

  • Install a raised zebra crossing outside Bairds Mainfreight Primary School. This crossing would be raised to the height of the footpath.
  • Install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
  • Remove the redundant driveway next to the proposed crossing location and rebuild the footpath.
  • Paint broken yellow lines on the approach to the crossing. This would result in the removal of 10 parking spaces.

Changes proposed on Ashton Avenue:

  • Install six speed bumps along Ashton Avenue. The speed bumps will be located at approximately 100m intervals along the entire road.

Download the proposal drawing for Edward Avenue and Ashton Avenue (PDF 1.05MB).

We would like to work with you to deliver safer roads in your neighbourhood. Currently, Bairds Mainfreight Primary School has a school patrolled (Kea) crossing for students moving to and from the school gate on Edward Avenue. This crossing poses a high risk to children's safety outside of operating hours. The proposed crossing will allow children to have a safe crossing to use at any time of the day.

The proposed crossing would:

  • Raise pedestrians, especially children, crossing the road to be at eye-level of approaching motorists, making them easier to see from a distance.
  • Make it more comfortable for everyone, including people with prams and wheelchairs, to cross the road as the crossing is level with the footpath.
  • Slow motorists to a safer speed outside the school.

We are also proposing changes on Ashton Avenue to create a safer environment for pedestrians by discouraging speeding. Pedestrian numbers are high on Ashton Avenue due to the two local schools, Baird's Mainfreight Primary School and Saint John the Evangelist School. The road is often used by drivers to avoid the main road during peak hours.

We have heard from the community that drivers speed along Ashton Avenue, posing a danger to pedestrians. Ashton Avenue currently has two speed bumps, but they do not reduce speeds on the entire road. We are proposing to add additional speed bumps to discourage speeding along the whole street and improve pedestrian safety.

What happens next

  • We’ll consider all the feedback we receive, and then decide the best way to move forward.
  • We’ll post the outcome of this proposal and a summary of community feedback on this webpage.
  • We can email you the proposal outcome as soon as it’s ready – just select that option when you fill in the survey.

Local Board Transport Capital Fund

This project is supported by the Local Board Transport Capital Fund. This fund is used to make improvements based on community priorities, which may not be covered by other programmes of work. The improvements will be delivered by Auckland Transport on behalf of your local board.

Ōtara: Safe with us

Auckland Transport cares for your safety. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids and senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around Edward Avenue and Ashton Avenue are another step towards our goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures (like minor time saving).