Great North Road and St Georges Road, Avondale – Signalised and raised pedestrian crossings Great North Road and St Georges Road, Avondale – Signalised and raised pedestrian crossings

General 

• The belief there is no issue with the existing road layout. Query evidence of pedestrian demand to justify the changes proposed at this location. 
  We received community requests for a safe crossing facility along Great North Road. In response, our team visited the site and identified the desire line for pedestrians who frequently cross the road as being at the location in which the crossings have been proposed. Further investigations indicated a high amount of pedestrian activity around this location and hence justifies this placement of the crossing. Together, the new crossings on these roads will help make it safer for everyone as they move through the roundabout and around the shopping centre.
• Concern that raised tables slow traffic and results in congestion. Concern that congestion resulting from the raised tables will make it difficult for residents of nearby properties to enter and exit their driveways.
  While some drivers may see a raised crossing as an inconvenience, research shows that minor delays of this kind do not impact trip times. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids, senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around Great North Road and St Georges 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).
• Concern that raised tables results in increased emissions due to vehicles slowing down/speeding up to travel over them.
  Research shows that raised tables are effective in reducing traffic and pedestrian crashes by 45%. Raised tables also improve overall road user safety by reducing travelling speeds and increasing awareness of pedestrians. The effect on fuel usage and emissions is expected to be minimal. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures.
• Query as to how the project will be monitored for effectiveness post-implementation.
  We will monitor the performance and effectiveness of these pedestrian crossing improvements post construction through on-site observations.
• Concern that tree trimming is not necessary.
  No tree trimming has been proposed as part of this project.
• Requests for various additional measures to be implemented nearby, including:
  • cycle lanes along the length of Great North Road  
  • cycling safety measures at the nearby roundabout  
  • traffic-light controlled intersection to replace the roundabout  
  • upgrade to the pedestrian crossing at 2004 Great North Road. 

These requests are unfortunately unable to be incorporated into this project, which aims to provide a safe place for pedestrians to cross in the Avondale shopping village. If you would like your request to be considered by us for future development works, please go to https://at.govt.nz/about-us/contact-us/to lodge your request Once this has been completed, your request will be passed on to the relevant team for investigation and consideration.

St Georges Road 

• Suggestion to install a signalised crossing instead of/as well as the proposed raised table zebra crossing.
  There are certain criteria that must be met in order to justify the signalisation of a crossing point, such as pedestrian crossing demand and vehicle speeds. St Georges Road does not currently meet these requirements; hence we are going ahead with a raised table crossing at this location.  
• Concern that the side islands and pedestrian refuge island will create a pinch point for cyclists. Suggestion side islands are removed from the design.
  Thank you for your feedback. We will address the issue of potential pinch points and make minor design adjustments if necessary, during the detailed design phase of this project.
• Request for improved street lighting along St Georges Road.
  Streetlighting on St Georges Road will be upgraded as part of this proposal. We will incorporate new street lighting into the final detailed design of the project.
• Suggestion to lower speed limit to 30km p/h or install speed bumps or traffic islands on St Georges Road to slow vehicle speeds.
  The proposed raised crossing will help to address speeding issues and improve overall road safety at this location. As you may already be aware, Auckland Transport is addressing high-risk areas as a priority by decreasing speed limits on the various roads around Auckland through our Residential Speed Management Programme. At this stage, based on the prioritisation rankings, there are not any plans for a decreased speed limit on this section of St Georges Road. You can visit our website for information about the Residential Speed Management programme, how streets are prioritised and view the priority areas.
• Requests for new footpaths to be installed along St Georges Road. Concern that footpaths are unsafe in their current state. 
  Unfortunately upgraded footpaths along St Georges Road are unable to be delivered as part of this proposal. Requests for footpath maintenance can be made via this website.
• Concern about vehicles parking on grass berms on St Georges Road.
  We recommend reporting these infringements to our parking enforcement call centre, which operates 24 hours, 7 days a week: 09 355 3553.

Great North Road 

• Suggestions for crossing on Great North Road to be positioned closer to the roundabout.
  We received community requests for a safe crossing facility along Great North Road. In response, our team visited the site and identified the desire line for pedestrians who frequently cross the road as being at the location in which the crossings have been proposed. Further investigations indicated a high amount of pedestrian activity around this location and hence justifies this placement of the crossing.
• Suggestion that Great North Road crossing is raised, but not signalised.
  In order to create a safe environment for all road users, this crossing must be signalised and raised due to it being located on a busy multi-lane road.
• Suggestion to make Great North Road one lane each way in order to allow for a zebra crossing instead of a signalised crossing.
  Great North Road is a high-volume road, reducing the lane numbers would increase congestion and decrease the performance of the road and therefore would not be suitable.