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Kelvin Road and Settlement Road, Papakura - Safety improvements Kelvin Road and Settlement Road, Papakura - Safety improvements

Proposal status: Feedback closed 27 July 2020, last updated 9 November 2020.

Reference number: CSFP1.7

In July 2020, we proposed changes in your area

To improve safety of people walking, especially school children, Papakura Local Board and Auckland Transport proposed to install a new raised table zebra crossing across Kelvin Road near the intersection with Settlement Road in Papakura. These changes were requested by the local board as there are no pedestrian crossing facilities near this end of Kelvin Road. The proposal aims to provide a safe place for pedestrians to cross.

Auckland Transport, local boards and ward councillors are working together to tackle local road safety concerns.

This project is supported by the regional fuel tax fund.

Changes proposed on Kelvin Road

  • Install a raised table zebra crossing across Kelvin Road near the its intersection with Settlement Road. The new zebra crossing will be raised to a platform level with the footpath. This should improve road safety by slowing traffic speeds near the crossing.
  • Install streetlights with orange discs at each end of the zebra crossing so that it is more visible to drivers.
  • Widen the footpath, install new kerbs and plant grass next to the footpath and crossing.
  • Install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
  • Install broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) to ensure clear visibility for drivers. Approximately four parking spaces will be lost.
  • Add signs on Kelvin Road and Settlement Road alerting drivers of the pedestrian crossing.

Download the proposal drawing for Kelvin Road and Settlement Road (PDF 925KB).

Proposal outcome

Once budget is confirmed, the proposed changes will proceed to the next stage of detailed planning before being constructed. 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.

Feedback received

  • We received positive feedback noting the crossing will help slow drivers down.
    Thank you for your positive feedback. We are pleased that these improvements will help slow drivers down.
  • Concern that the location of the crossing will make drivers not be able to see people on the crossing, therefore, pedestrians are at a greater risk of being hit.
    As part of the design, visibility checks are done to ensure that drivers are able to spot pedestrians crossings at appropriate distances and react accordingly (stop and give way to crossing pedestrians).
  • Concern that the crossing will cause drivers turning to slide sideways on the crossing ramp, especially in wet weather, which would damage people’s cars and also risk people getting injured.
    The new crossing will be constructed in concrete with the appropriate finish to ensure that drivers turning do not slide or lose control while traversing the table.
  • Concern that the crossing will not make the area safer. The respondent explained that there have been no pedestrian deaths or injuries at this intersection and were concerned that the proposed changes are going to get people killed.
    Thank you for your feedback and addressing your concerns. The aim of this project is to improve the intersection safety of Kelvin and Settlement Roads with a focus to reduce the speed of drivers travelling on Kelvin Road towards Settlement Road. A number of possible solutions were investigated to achieve this with the most feasible being a vertical speed calming device (speed table). It therefore made sense to also have this act as a pedestrian crossing to service this desire line. If a crash were to occur here between a car and a pedestrian, the probability of the crash resulting in a death or serious injury is significantly reduced because of the reduction in speed provided by the raised table.
  • Concern that with the raised crossing, heavy vehicles will 'do a quick up and over the crossing' causing the ground to shake more and bounce the pipeline.
    The construction of the speed table will be in compliance with the relevant policy guidelines and standards. Also as Kelvin Road is generally not used by heavy vehicles, we do not expect vibrations to be an issue with the proposed table. Therefore, we do not intend to make any changes at this stage.

Next steps

We will be in touch with you once we know more about how this project will be impacted by the current budget constraints. Once funding is secured, our contractors will send notices to residents or businesses affected by works 48 hours before the work starts.

Community Safety Fund

The Community Safety Fund is focused on tackling road safety concerns. This programme is dependent on the level of funding AT receives from Auckland Council. Unfortunately this year, funding has been constrained due to the impact of Covid-19. Planning and design will continue but currently many projects cannot be delivered in the 2020/2021 financial year. This proposal is also supported by the Auckland regional fuel tax.

Papakura: 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 Kelvin Road 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).