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Great North Road & Roberton Road, Avondale – Pedestrian Safety Improvements Great North Road & Roberton Road, Avondale – Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Proposal status: Feedback closed  7 February 2022

Reference number: 20100342

Proposal outcome

In January 2022, we proposed changes to improve pedestrian safety near the intersection of Great North Road and Roberton Road, Avondale. These changes are in response to a history of crashes at this location.

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 anticipate the changes will be constructed within the 2021/2022 financial year. We will be in touch with local residents and businesses prior to any construction taking place. 

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge. Those in support of the proposal noted that the new raised, signalised crossing will improve pedestrian safety in a currently car dominant area.

The following is a summary of the additional comments and queries we received, and our responses to them. 

Congestion  

  • Concern that the new signalised crossing will exacerbate existing traffic congestion issues. 
    The use of the proposed crossing facility will only be triggered when pedestrians push the button for the signal crossing facility to cross Great North Road. Therefore, we anticipate that the impact on congestion along this section of Great North Road will be minimal. Increasing the safety of vulnerable road users like pedestrians is paramount and, in this instance, has been prioritised over potential, minimal congestion impacts. 

Impact on residents  

  • Concern that the new signalised crossing will prevent residents from safely exiting their driveway to join traffic heading north. 
    The new raised pedestrian crossing will not greatly impact vehicles exiting nearby properties in comparison to the existing scenario. The pedestrian crossing will primarily be used during peak morning and afternoon hours, when crossing demand is high. The new pedestrian crossing will create gaps in traffic flow and reduce speeds, which may assist drivers when exiting from nearby properties.  
  • Suggestion that a better location for the new crossing is closer to Heron Park, where the impact on residents entering and exiting their driveways would be reduced. 
    There is an existing pedestrian crossing at the signalised intersection of Great North Road and Blockhouse Bay Road which currently caters to pedestrians accessing Heron Park. 

Safety 

  • Concern that this proposal does not improve safety but is about protecting car usage. 
  • Concern that this proposal is not required, as there have only been two accidents here that were not relayed to the position of the existing bus stop or pedestrians 
    This project has identified an existing safety issue for pedestrians attempting to cross Great North Road within the vicinity of the existing bus stops. There has been a total of 13 crashes at and around Roberton Road, 5 of which involved pedestrians crossing Great North Road. A raised, signalised crossing facility is one of the safest types of crossing facilities for multi lane roads such as Great North Road. The safety of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, are the main focus of this project. 

Cycling Infrastructure  

  • Request for a protected bike lane to be installed in both directions on Great North Road. These would link to the existing lanes on Great North Road and fulfil Vision Zero goals.  
     Improvements in cycling facilities on Great North Road are currently outside of the scope of this project which focuses on pedestrian safety.

    However, this particular corridor has been identified for improved cycling facilities in our long-term vision for Auckland's integrated transport system. As these cycling developments are part of our long-term corridor improvement plan, they are still some time away. The proposed pedestrian safety improvements are one of the many stages of improvements along this corridor. 
  • Request to remove more parking on Great North Road and for the speed limit to be lowered to 30km, to improve the safety of cyclists. 
    Auckland Transport has started the second round of the speed limit investigation process for the Speed Limit Bylaw. Great North Road is not currently included within this portion of the Speed Limit Bylaw prioritisation process.

    However, based on your request, we will include Great North Road in our database to be potentially included in the future Speed Limit Bylaw investigation. The prioritisation process takes into consideration factors such as the number of crashes at a site, the safety risks, traffic speeds and land use. Any updates with the programme can be found on our website     here.  

We're proposing improvements in your area

In response to a history of crashes at this location, we are planning pedestrian safety improvements near the intersection of Great North Road & Roberton Road, in Avondale.

Changes proposed on Great North Road:

  • Install a signalised, raised crossing at 1683 Great North Road, which is a traffic-light controlled crossing on top of a wide, flat speed bump that is level with the footpath. Tactile pavers will be installed on either side, which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to crossings and safely across roads.
  • Relocate the bus stop and shelter currently positioned at 1638 Great North Road to 1687 Great North Road, to allow for the new crossing to be constructed.
  • Paint broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) on the western kerb extending from the corner of Glendon Avenue, to the edge of the new signalised raised crossing. Broken yellow lines will also be painted on the eastern kerb, south of the crossing. This will help buses to safely manoeuvre in and out of the bus stop and ensure approaching drivers and pedestrians waiting to cross can clearly see one another.
  • These changes will result in the loss of 9 on-street parking spaces on Great North Road.

Changes proposed on Roberton Road:

  • Install a pedestrian island at the top of Roberton Road near the intersection with Great North Road. A pedestrian island is raised platform in the middle of a road that makes it safer to cross a road by breaking up the journey.
  • Install tactile pavers and extend the kerbs and footpaths on each side of Roberton Road.
  • Paint broken yellow lines around each corner of Roberton Road where it meets Great North Road. These restrictions will allow for the new kerbs and footpaths and ensure that approaching drivers and people waiting to cross have a clear view of one another.
  • These changes will result in the loss of 3 on-street parking spaces on Roberton Road.

Download the proposal drawing for Great North Road & Roberton Road, Avondale (PDF 1.45MB)

Give your feedback

What happens next

  • We’ll listen to 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.

Avondale: 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 Great North 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).