Skip to main content

Ash St, Avondale - Extend existing hours of Clearway Ash St, Avondale - Extend existing hours of Clearway

Consultation status: closed 16 February 2018

Proposal reference: RTV-132

The proposal aims to extend the hours of the existing weekday morning Clearway from 7-9am to 6-10am along the northern side of Ash Street in Avondale.

Download the consultation drawing for Ash Street (PDF 982KB)

Currently, vehicles parked along the northern side of Ash Street are preventing road users from moving eastward along the road and from being able to effectively use both lanes on the street. We expect that these parking restrictions will improve traffic operation and reduce the morning traffic congestion resulting from the use of on-street parking during the morning peak hours.

Feedback

The proposal received mixed feedback with some concerns raised by respondents. After reviewing this feedback and all other supporting evidence, the proposal will proceed without changes to the next stage of detailed planning.

Specific feedback

  • Concern that extension of clearway hours will cause safety hazards for cyclists, who often utilize the left-hand lane. The proposal should reduce risks to cyclists, particularly the potential for collisions with parked cars unexpectedly pulling out or car doors being opened.
  • Concerns that extension of clearway hours could attract more commuters through Ash Street, thereby adding to traffic congestion. Extending the hours of the existing clearway will increase capacity of the road, allowing for a smoother flow of traffic resulting in reduced congestion. It is very unlikely that the proposal would lead to an increase in traffic.
  • Recommendation that the clearway also be implemented on weekends. Congestion issues along this stretch of Ash Street are frequently observed on weekdays only. There is also high demand for parking at this location on weekends.
  • Suggestion to implement the clearway from 6am – 9am, instead of 6am – 10am. On our site visits, heavy traffic continued to be observed after 9am. The clearway hours proposed will best address existing congestion issues.
  • Suggestion to also increase the speed limit to 60km/h along Ash Street. As this is a residential area, we do not recommend increasing the speed limit above 50km/h.
  • Concern that traffic does not follow existing 50km/h speed limit along Ash Street, causing difficulties for residents entering/exiting their driveways. Suggestion to install speed cameras to better monitor speeds. For speed camera requests, please contact the New Zealand Police.
  • Enquiry regarding whether any similar projects have been implemented elsewhere in Auckland. Yes – a similar project occurred on Wolverton Street in Blockhouse Bay. The clearway at this location has since been operating well and without issues.
  • Request for additional works include.
    • Recommendation that waste collection occur outside of Clearway hours, as collection trucks often cause bottlenecks.
    • Suggestion to install a bus lane along Ash Street.
    • Recommendation to construct a bridge over the Whau River from Glen Dene to Rosebank.

These requests are out of scope for this proposal which focuses on extending the hours of the Ash Street clearway. If you would like your request to be considered by us for future development works, please provide feedback here.

Next steps

We expect to introduce this work between July 2018 and June 2019, subject to further changes in design or funding issues.

Contractors will issue 48-hour notices to all affected residents prior to construction work.