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Wattle Farm Road, Wattle Downs – Raised Zebra Crossing Project Wattle Farm Road, Wattle Downs – Raised Zebra Crossing Project

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: MIP1920-055

Proposal update

We have made some small changes to improve the design. We will:

  • Relocate the proposed crossing further away from the driveway of property 2A Ranger Place to improve visibility and access in and out of the driveway.
  • Improve existing bus stop outside Clayton Park School with new footpath and tactile pavers. These are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people find their way to the bus stop.

Next steps

We advised you in October 2021 that we expected to construct the crossing this year before June 2023.

We have an updated construction estimate, and now expect to begin work March -April 2023. Our contractors will be in touch with nearby residents before construction begins.

Download the updated drawing (PDF 1 MB)

Proposal outcome

In October 2021, we proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety on Wattle Farm Road near Clayton Park School by upgrading an existing crossing to a raised zebra crossing. After reviewing all the feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

What happens next

We expect to construct this crossing during the 2022 - 2023 financial year, subject to budget availability. Once the budget is confirmed, we will send out notification letters about the construction of the crossing.

Community feedback

Thank you for adding your voice to this proposal. Your local knowledge has helped us make this decision for your neighbourhood.

Clayton Park School and the majority of respondents supported the proposed crossing upgrade, telling us that drivers speed along Wattle Farm Road, and that they believed the changes would reduce the driving speeds. Many respondents said they supported the proposal because it would improve safety for neighbourhood children.

A few respondents told us the changes weren’t necessary, and others suggested moving the bus stop further west.

Here is a summary of the concerns, questions, and suggestions from the community, and our responses to them:

Raised zebra crossing

  • Raised zebra crossings are dangerous and damage legally lowered vehicles.
    This raised table is designed to current standards to ensure a smooth transition from the road, up the raised crossing, and down to the road again. They will not damage vehicles if drivers approach and travel over them at appropriate speeds.
  • The raised zebra crossing will delay emergency vehicles serving the area and the nearby retirement village.
    We have worked with emergency services to ensure that all speed management changes we make do not impact their response times. We consulted Fire & Emergency, St John’s Ambulance, and New Zealand Police as part of this consultation, and they did not raised concerns.
  • Don't raise the crossing.
    The proposed raised table encourages lower vehicle speeds, which will make it safer for everyone on the road – drivers, cyclists, and people walking – in accordance with our Vision Zero goal.
  • Question if the crossing will be taller than 75mm.
    The proposed raised crossing will be 100mm in height.

Road layout

  • The lane width will endanger cyclists by putting them in the path of vehicles.
    There is no central traffic island in this crossing which might create a pinch point for cyclists at this crossing, and there is only one merge that occurs when cycling up to the crossing. The raised crossing is expected to reduce driving speeds to around 30km/h, which is in line with our Vision Zero and Transport Design Manual standards.
    We have proposed a 3.2m lane width which is acceptable in a slow-speed environment for cyclists to merge safely and use among other vehicles.
  • Move the crossing to the east side of Ranger Place, closer to Coxhead Road, so it is more in line with the school gates and pedestrian desire line.
    This project involves raising the existing flat zebra crossing to a raised table zebra crossing, which will help to reduce speeds. The crossing cannot be shifted east because of the hill on Wattle Farm Road, which could make it hard to see the crossing. The current proposed location was chosen because it meets pedestrian visibility requirements.
  • Move the crossing to the west because it conflicts with driveways.
    As part of the investigation for this project, our engineers checked the vehicle tracking – how different vehicles and vehicles towing trailers would drive over the crossing and into nearby driveways – to ensure that all driveways are accessible. The proposed crossing has been shifted slightly west away from the vehicle crossing.

Parking

  • Move the bus stop farther down Wattle Farm Road to preserve parking for schools pick up and drop off
    We are only shifting the existing bus stop to accommodate this raised zebra crossing and to bring the bus stop to current AT Metro standards.
    The location of this bus stop is based on the required spacing between the bus stops on a route. There will still be parking opportunities for parents to park on Wattle Farm Road.
  • Use the current bus stop as parking for school pickup and dropoff.
    This bus stop is part of the public bus route and there is no plan to convert it into parking for school pickup and drop-offs. There will still be parking opportunities for parents to park elsewhere on Wattle Farm Road.
  • The parking loss will make it harder for people to access parks and homes.
    The broken yellow line (no stopping at any time) parking restrictions are needed to improve the visibility of pedestrians at this crossing facility. As part of the design process, we assess the sightlines between drivers and people using the crossing. If cars are parked near the crossing, drivers and pedestrians would not be able to see each other, which raises the risk of an accident.
  • Parents will park over the new broken yellow lines as they already park on the existing broken yellow lines.
    Any illegal parking behaviour is enforceable. Drivers parking on broken yellow lines can be ticketed.

Neighbourhood improvements

  • Suggestion that the crossing outside Clayton Park School on Tington Avenue is also raised. 
    Thank you for your suggestion. We will add it to our programme list for future consideration.
  • The corner of Coxhead Road and Wattle Farm Road is unsafe for pedestrians as turning cars regularly drive over the corner.
    There are existing parking restrictions to ensure that pedestrians have adequate visibility for crossing at this intersection.

Other

  • The crossing is fine as is, and the proposed changes are a waste of money.
    Through this consultation, we received mostly supportive responses to our proposal of raising the existing painted zebra crossing to a raised zebra crossing.
    The proposed raised table encourages lower vehicle speeds, which will make it safer for everyone on the road – drivers, cyclists, and people and schoolchildren walking – in accordance with our Vision Zero goal.
  • Query if streetlights will be installed at the crossing location.
    The lighting at this crossing will be reviewed as part of the detailed design to ensure the crossing is always well-lit.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions will increase because cars will slow approaching the crossing and then speed up afterward.
    In New Zealand we do not monitor air quality at zebra crossings or speed tables because there is not a measurable impact. We do monitor air quality at some of the busiest intersections in Auckland and this reveals that the air quality standards are rarely exceeded. This data is publicly available from the Auckland Council website here.

We’re proposing improvements in your area

We are proposing to improve pedestrian safety near Clayton Park School by upgrading the existing crossing to a raised zebra crossing, and we would like to hear your views. 

These changes would include: 

  • Upgrade the existing zebra crossing on Wattle Farm Road near the Clayton Park School fields to a raised table zebra crossing, which is a pedestrian crossing on top of a wide, flat speed bump. 
  • Install tactile pavers, which are yellow textured tiles that help guide visually impaired people, on the footpaths on both sides of the road. 
  • Reposition the existing bus stop 8 metres to the west to make room for the new crossing. 
  • Remove five on-street parking spaces by painting broken yellow lines. 
  • Install new signs and road markings and relocate nearby streetlights to increase the visibility of the upgraded crossing. 

Download proposal drawing

These changes aim to improve the safety of people walking in your neighbourhood, especially the schoolchildren on their way to Clayton Park School. The proposed raised table would slow drivers to a safer speed near the school, and the crossing would be on top of a speed bump raised to the footpath level, so it is comfortable for everyone, including people with prams and wheelchairs, to cross. 

We would increase the visibility of the crossing by installing new signs and painting new road markings, so drivers would be aware of the new speed bump and the need to look out for pedestrians crossing the road. These improvements include removing some on-street parking near the crossing. We understand this can be inconvenient but painting broken yellow lines is necessary so that drivers and the people crossing the road can see each other. 

Give your feedback

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. 

More information 

  • This proposal is supported with funding from the Auckland regional fuel tax. 

Wattle Downs: 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 Wattle Farm 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).