Swanson Road safety improvements Swanson Road safety improvements
Auckland Transport (AT) are proposing safety improvements to Swanson Road through Ranui town centre to make it safer and easier for people to get around.
Project status: Completed
Project zone: West
Project overview
Aucklanders have told us that moving around our region safely and easily is important to them. We are proposing some improvements to Swanson Road through Ranui town centre to make it safer and easier for people to get around. Safety improvements are needed as Swanson Road is a high-risk road with a history of crashes. Changes need to be made to protect people and enable a safer future for everyone walking, biking, or driving in this area.
Project details
The proposed improvements include:
- One new raised pedestrian crossing outside Fresh Choice to replace the existing pedestrian refuge island. To make space for the new crossing we would need to remove 3 car parks.
- 6 new pedestrian refuge islands on Swanson Road to make it easier and safer for people to cross the road near the bus stops.
- New pedestrian refuge islands on Airdrie Road, Marinich Drive and Waitemata Drive, (where it intersects with Swanson Road) to make it safer and easier for people to cross these roads.
- New 'slow' road markings and 'Welcome to Ranui' signs upon entrance to the town centre.
- New electronic speed signs to notify drivers what speed they are going in the lead up to the town centre.
- No parking 'broken yellow lines' painted on the road before and after the bus stops and pedestrian refuge islands on Swanson Road. This will provide more space for buses to manoeuvre safely and enable people crossing the road to be more easily seen by drivers. Parking surveys have shown demand for car parks at these locations is very low so it will still be easy to find a park nearby.
- 5 bus stops on Swanson Road will be shifted slightly to make sure they are in the safest locations for people to cross the road.
The bus stop changes include:- Moving the bus stop from outside 529 to 525 Swanson Road and adding a bus shelter.
- Moving the bus stops and shelters from outside 381 and 526 to 379 and 540 Swanson Road.
- Moving the bus stops from outside 297 and 352 to 295 and 354 Swanson Road and adding a concrete standing area.
Objectives
As a Vision Zero organisation, we are committed to making the roads around Auckland safer and reducing the risk of death or serious injuries on our roads. Swanson Road is a high-risk road where over 50 crashes have taken place and 3 lives have sadly been lost here between 2013 - 2017.
Changes need to be made to improve road safety through Ranui and protect people who are walking, biking, and driving. Every Aucklander deserves a safe transport network where no death or serious injury is acceptable.
We have worked closely with Henderson-Massey Local Board to look at these initiatives in partnership with the local community. The project will be partly funded by the regional fuel tax.
Detailed design plans of proposed safety improvements
Proposed location of the safety improvements, are shown in detailed plans.
Feedback
We consulted on this proposal from 5 March to 19 March 2021 and received 225 submissions. After considering all the feedback we received, we have decided to proceed with this project, taking into consideration a few changes, following suggestions raised in the feedback. A copy of the final design can be downloaded here.
Post consultation changes to the proposal
Loss of Parking
Feedback was considered around the loss of on street parking directly outside Fresh Choice. Some locals found that these car parks were useful and well used. An alteration to the design retains one of the four car parks that were originally proposed to be removed.
Two additional raised pedestrian crossings
Feedback was received that this proposal could do more to slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety. This was considered in alignment with Auckland Transport's Vision Zero Strategy and the number of proposed pedestrian crossings was increased.
Pedestrian crossings such as zebra crossings are ideally put on top of raised tables to slow vehicles to a more survivable speed if a pedestrian were to be hit. Two additional raised zebra crossings have also been proposed at 452 and 508 - 510 Swanson Rd (one at each end of the Ranui Town Centre) as a result of the consultation, as per the pictures below. There are currently pedestrian refuge facilities at each of these locations.
It is important to note these additional proposed crossings were included in consultation discussions with emergency services.
We expect to implement these changes before June 2022.