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Balmoral road and Dominion road intersection safety upgrade Balmoral road and Dominion road intersection safety upgrade

As part of a plan to improve safety at this intersection, Auckland Transport has made improvements to this intersection by putting in raised pedestrian crossings at all four slip lanes at this intersection.

Project status: Completed

Project zone: Central

Background

AT has made some key changes to improve this intersection and make the connection between the park, shops and nearby schools safer to walk, bike and drive around. AT is working to ensure every road user gets home safely. This includes children, senior citizens, people with a mobility issue, people walking and people on bikes or motorcycles interacting with motorists. As a Vision Zero organisation, AT is committed to making the roads around Auckland safer and reducing the rise of death and serious injury on our roads. The intersection is in the Albert-Eden Local board area.

Image of Balmoral road and Dominion road intersection works

Image showing Balmoral road and Dominion road intersection works

Project Updates

The project started in October 2022 and finished in November 2022.

Public Engagement

In November 2021, we proposed changes to improve pedestrian and road user safety at the Dominion Road and Balmoral Road intersection and asked for your feedback. After reviewing all your comments, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge. The majority of respondents supported this proposal. Respondents were concerned about the safety of people using the existing crossings. They said that these changes would make the intersection more pedestrian-friendly, especially for children.

  • The existing crossings are sufficient and the changes are not required. We carried out a pedestrian count survey at these crossings. It showed a high number of pedestrians, especially school children, using these crossings. The existing traffic islands are small and deteriorated. During peak pedestrian use, multiple school children crowd the traffic islands, waiting for traffic signals. Upgrades to the traffic islands would give pedestrians a safer place to wait to cross the road. The raised tables will also increase pedestrian safety by helping to slow down drivers using the slip lanes.
  • Access in and out of Dunbar Road is an issue due to the KFC. We understand that turning right on Dominion Road exiting Dunbar Road can be difficult at peak times, due to heavy traffic on Dominion Road and the nearby signalised intersection. Queues to KFC during peak times could be adding more issues as well. Please consider a different travel choice, such as using the signalised intersection of Balmoral Road and Eldon Road.
  • Suggestion to add cycle infrastructure. The slip lanes are approximately 5m wide, and so can easily accommodate cyclists on the road. That's because the recommended safe width requirement for cyclists and vehicles is 4.2m. The raised crossings will also slow driver speeds on the slip lanes, making it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
  • The Dominion Road and Balmoral Road intersection is part of the regional cycle network. Upgrades to cycling infrastructure would likely be part of a larger upgrade of the entire intersection. For these proposed works, our focus was on the safety of pedestrians crossing the slip lanes. For this reason, adding cycle infrastructure is out of this project's scope.
  • Remove the slip lanes and have signalised left turn lanes. The existing slip lanes work well, are safer for pedestrians, and do not impede traffic flows. Removing the slip lanes completely would increase congestion on these roads.
  • Query why there needs to be 7 lanes on Balmoral Road at this intersection. The existing road layout consists of 7 lanes, and the proposed works will maintain the same layout. The number of lanes is due to the high volume of traffic along Dominion Road and Balmoral Road. The Dominion Road and Balmoral Road intersection is a primary arterial and frequent transit network route. 

Proposed improvements in your area

To upgrade the existing zebra crossings on all four of the left slip lanes at the Dominion Road and Balmoral Road intersection to raised Swedish-style zebra crossings. The zebra crossings will be raised on a flat, wide speed bump with a gentle exit which gives a smoother ride for drivers and passengers, including buses.

Auckland Transport would like to work with you to deliver safer roads in your neighbourhood. These changes are being proposed to improve pedestrian safety at these crossings which have a high pedestrian demand due to the nearby shops, restaurants, schools and Potters Park. There has been one reported injury crash when a child was crossing the slip lane in 2016. Upgrading the crossings onto raised platforms aims to improve driver’s visibility of pedestrians using the crossing, and pedestrian’s visibility of on-coming traffic. The raised platforms also reduce driver speeds near the pedestrian crossings.

More information

This proposal is supported by the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax.

For more information or queries about this project, please contact AT on 09 355 3553 or email projects@at.govt.nz with the name of the project in the subject heading.