Safe school streets Safe school streets
Auckland Transport are working to make it safer outside schools, help reduce congestion and create a space that makes parents and their children feel safe about walking, cycling and catching public transport to school.
On this page:
Find out the project benefits.
Have your say on the Milford School programme.
Have your say on the Sunnyhills Primary School programme.
Have your say on the Willow Park School programme.
Read about the project details for Ōwairaka District School.
Read about the project details for Rutherford School.
Read about the project details for Summerland Primary School.
Project status: Consultation.
Project zone: Region-wide
Project overview
Currently approximately 140,000 students are driven to school each day across Tāmaki Makaurau, which creates issues around parking, congestion, and safety.
Safe School Streets is a pilot programme that AT is trialling with a number of schools around Auckland. The programme sees temporary measures introduced around a school before any long-term solutions are implemented.
The changes are designed to increase safety outside schools, reduce the number of vehicles during peak times and encourage more students and their families to walk and cycle to and from school each day. Some of these changes may include temporary measures such as planter boxes, speed humps, better signage and no parking and speed reduction zones.
AT is taking a Vision Zero approach to road safety. This means we are striving to have zero deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050. To achieve this, we are working to create a more forgiving road network that recognises that we are human and make mistakes. But those mistakes should not mean someone dies or is seriously injured on our roads.
Benefits
- Make it safer outside schools during drop off and pick up times.
- Reduce congestion and illegal parking near school entrances.
- Increase visibility of children near the school.
- Create a safer space for parents, children and school staff to encourage more walking, cycling and catching public transport to school.
Project status: Install of interim changes/Feedback open
Safe School Streets
Safe School Streets is a pilot programme that AT is trialling with a number of schools around Auckland. The programme sees temporary measures introduced around a school before any long-term solutions are implemented. The changes are designed to increase safety outside schools, reduce the number of vehicles during peak times and encourage more students and their families to walk and cycle to and from school each day.
Auckland Transport is taking a Vision Zero approach to road safety. This means we are striving to have zero deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050. To achieve this, we are working to create a more forgiving road network that recognises that we are human and make mistakes. But those mistakes should not mean someone dies or is seriously injured on our roads.
Auckland Transport (AT) is progressing its Safe School Streets programme with Milford School into the next phase. These changes include:
Otakau Road
- Drop off and pick up zone with purple painted kerb replacing on-street parking at 17-19 Otakau Road. The zone will operate from 8am – 9am and 2.30pm – 3.30pm. During these times, parking will not be available as the intention is for parents to pull in to safely pick-up or drop-off children at school.
- Rubber speed cushion and road narrowing to slow speeds outside 15-17 and 16-18 Otakau Road.
- Extending no stopping lines outside 2/5, 21, 24 and 26 Otakau Road
Fenwick Avenue
- Raised crossing north of the intersection with Otakau Road.
- A raised table Kea crossing at 10 Fenwick, south of the intersection with Otakau Road. A Kea crossing is only operational when operated with school patrol signs.
In April we installed changes around Sunnyhills School as part of our Safe School Streets Trial. These temporary changes are designed to increase safety outside the school, reduce the number of vehicles during peak times and encourage walking and cycling to and from school.
This programme supports Auckland Transport’s commitment to Vision Zero, an ambitious new transport safety vision, with the goal of no deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050. This approach acknowledges that as people we all make mistakes, however a mistake should not mean someone dies or is seriously injured on our roads. It’s also an approach that values everyone using the road, not just those in vehicles. It is about caring for more vulnerable road users like people walking or cycling, children and the elderly. Vision Zero is the international benchmark for transport safety.
The Safe School Streets programme follows a consultation by trial approach, where changes can be made to temporary measures, to help inform the design of any future permanent measures. These temporary measures include:
Fordyce Avenue
- Planter boxes beside the raised pedestrian crossing to encourage safe vehicle speeds.
- Flexible bollards to narrow the intersections near Suzetta Place and Pennycook Place to encourage safe vehicle speeds.
- A speed bump and planter boxes between Pennycook Place and Glenmore Road (near 3 Fordyce Ave).
Suzetta Place / Stansfield Place / Pennycook Place
- A drop off and pick up only area, indicated by a purple painted kerb and interim signage. Residents are exempt however we are asking parents and caregivers not to park between 8:30am to 9:15am and 2:30pm to 3:30pm.
The Crest
- A drop off and pick up only area, indicated by interim signage. Residents are exempt however we are asking parents and caregivers not to park between 8:30am to 9:15am and 2:30pm to 3:30pm.
- A speed bump outside 19 and 10 the Crest in the lead up to the school.
The Boulevard
- A speed bump and flexible bollards near 43 and 25/27 The Boulevard.
- Flexible bollards near the intersection of Treeway.
Changes to the temporary measures at Sunnyhills
Thank you to all those who have provided feedback to date. As a result of community feedback and on-site observations by the project team, we have already made several changes to the temporary design including:
- Removal of the no-entry into the Crest
- Removal of some flexible bollards on the Boulevard
- Addition of flexible bollards between the speed cushions
- Installation of signage only to mark pick up and drop off zones, where the plans included purple painted kerbs.
Additional changes we are making to the temporary design in late October:
- Remove the roundabout on Fordyce Ave following resident feedback
- Install kerb build outs at the corners of Stansfield Place to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, slow turning vehicles, and discourage U-turns in the intersection
- Adding new line marking around the speed cushions on the Boulevard and the Crest to improve visibility
- Reducing the size of the kerb buildouts (footpath widening) near 13-15, 14 and 20 Fordyce Ave to provide more parking
- Removing the leading flexible bollards on the buildouts (footpath widening) around the zebra crossing on Fordyce Ave
- Shifting the existing pram ramp to make the pedestrian crossing safer
- Adding a temporary sign on the Crest to mark the drop off zone
- Removing the bollards outside 2/1 Fordyce Ave.
What happens next
It is important for us to gather all the information we need before we make a decision about which parts of the trial might be kept moving to a permanent solution.
In addition to current feedback from residents and school leadership, we need to gather feedback from school parents. We will also collect vehicle data, including speed measurements.
We'll collect data once school is fully open to students again, which may not be until February 2022.
- February / March 2022: Collection of trial monitoring data
- March / April 2022: Evaluating the data and making a decision about which parts of the trial to keep in place.
- If we decide to progress the trial to a permanent design, the temporary measures will remain in place until we implement the permanent scheme.
- A full consultation will take place before any permanent changes are implemented.
To provide feedback please complete our online survey or call (09) 355 3553.
Next steps
The measures we are installing are temporary, however if they work and the community are happy with them, we are keen to make them permanent. Following a period of time, we will be conducting research on how the measures are working and look at any changes that may need to be made. We would love to hear your thoughts along the way.
Please provide feedback through the online survey or contact us at ATengagement@at.govt.nz to register your interest in attending a drop-in session to talk to the team following the changes.
Project status: Consultation by trial
During the April school holiday period, AT will install some changes that align with feedback received from the one-day trial and co-design sessions with Willow Park School and the community.
The improvements are all designed to be changed or removed quickly. The Safe School Streets Programme is a trial, so feedback from the school and the community will determine whether they become permanent.
The changes being trialled include:
Eban Avenue
- A drop-off and pick-up only area outside 60-72 Eban Avenue indicated by a purple painted kurb and signage. No parking between 8:30am to 9.15am and 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Residents will be exempt.
- Flexible bollards and planter boxes narrowing the road to slow traffic, near the intersection with Compton Street and the intersection with Moore Street. They will be installed outside 76-79 and 40-45 Eban Avenue.
- A temporary mini-roundabout at the intersection with Compton Street
Sylvia Road
- Speed cushions and flexible bollards on approach to the raised crossing outside 9 and 12 Sylvia Road.
Compton Street
- We will be trialling no entry from Moore Street for a two-week period at the beginning of the long-term trial. Further consultation will take place during this period. If effective, the no-entry will stay in place for the duration of the long-term trial.
- If the no-entry does not remain, a temporary mini-roundabout will be installed at the Moore Street and Compton Street intersection instead.
- A drop-off and pick-up only area outside 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 Compton Street indicated by a purple painted kerb and signage. No parking between 8:30am to 9.15am and 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Residents will be exempt.
- A speed cushion to slow traffic located outside 29 and 38 Compton Street.
- A raised table crossing near the Eban Avenue intersection outside 76 Eban Avenue and 49 Compton Street.
Moore Street
- Speed cushion, flexible bollards and planter boxes narrowing the road to slow traffic) south of the intersection with Compton Street (between 106 and 113 Moore Street)
- Speed cushions & flexible bollards narrowing the road to slow traffic between 130 & 137 Moore Street.
- Narrowed intersection at the Eban Avenue end of Moore Street.
- Temporary signage placed along the safest route to school.
Next steps
The measures we are installing are temporary, however if they work and the community are happy with them, we are keen to make them permanent. Following a period of time, we will be conducting research on how the measures are working and look at any changes that may need to be made. We would love to hear your thoughts along the way. Please provide feedback through the online survey or contact us at ATengagement@at.govt.nz to register your interest in attending a drop-in session to talk to the team following the changes.
We recently trialled temporary safety improvements for Ōwairaka District School. We would like to thank the school and the local community for your patience while we ran this trial. These trial measures have influenced our permanent design which is now finalised.
Construction update
Construction of permanent fixtures will begin in late November 2024. The work will also include removing the temporary fixtures including planter boxes, orange safety sticks and rubber speed mats on both Richardson Road and Ōwairaka Avenue.
At 104 Richardson Road we will upgrade the existing zebra crossing by:
- repainting and marking the crossing
- reshaping the traffic islands
- installing a new kerb and channel
We'll also be upgrading the existing kerb and footpath near the crossing.
At 120 Richardson Road, to encourage lower driver speeds we will be:
- surface traction treating a section of the road
- painting a 'slow' warning feature
- installing new traffic islands
- painting new road markings
At 126 Ōwairaka Avenue we will upgrade the existing zebra crossing by:
- raising the crossing to be level with the footpath
- reshaping and installing new footpath
- reshaping the traffic islands
- installing a new kerb and channel
We will also be painting new broken yellow lines (no parking) and painting other road markings.
Project status: Permanent design being installed June/July 2021
From November 2019, interim changes were made to the streets around Rutherford Primary School and Rutherford College, and these changes were monitored and adjustments were made to the layout after feedback from the schools and community. The interim changes included:
- Kotuku Street was narrowed by the use of planter boxes. The southern side of the street became a ‘no stopping or parking zone’ for parents and students. This was to reduce the number of cars and turning movements on Kotuku Street and make it safer for those walking, cycling and scooting.
- Pick up/drop off zones were located on the school side of Toru Street and the top of Titoki and Karamu Street to reduce vehicle congestion in and around the school gate. There are also park and walk zones on Gloria Avenue and Old Te Atatu Road. These zones are not for student parking.
- New pedestrian crossings and speed calming measures: New courtesy crossing locations were tested at either end of Kotuku Street and Toru Street. During this interim installation these are raised courtesy crossings, not zebra crossings so pedestrians do not have priority over traffic, but they will slow vehicles and allow us to test the location.
- New bus stop locations were trailed for Rutherford College Students
In early 2021, all of the feedback from the community surveys, and the traffic monitoring was collated into a final report. This information was used to determine which parts of the infrastructure should be built permanently to improve safety and encourage active forms of transport to and from school.
This trial informed and shaped more permanent solutions which will be installed in Kotuku Street, Gloria Ave and Old Te Atatu Road. The permanent infrastructure is being installed starting June 2021.
Some of the key changes include:
- The location of the Rutherford Primary crossing has been finalised and a raised crossing will be built
- A raised pedestrian table is being built across the entrance to Rutherford High School, and another further up Kotuku Street, to encourage slower speeds and safer crossing points for students and community.
- The foot paths on the school side of Kotuku Streets are being widened to safely cater for the large numbers of students who are leaving school at the end of the day.
- At each end of Kotuku Street, the corners are being rebuilt to encourage drivers to enter the street safely and to allow safer crossing for pedestrians.
- Some road markings to indicate a school area will be installed on Old Te Atatu Road to let drivers know they are approaching a school zone
- A Walking School Bus has been established from the primary school to a pick up location at the Church on Old Te Atatu Road
- Some wayfinding footpath art is planned to be installed a little later to highlight the presence of young students and to encourage students to walk safely to school.
Download the Rutherford interim phase plans (PDF 1.1MB).
Download the Rutherford safe school streets public feedback report (PDF 780KB, 46 pages).
Next steps
Auckland Transport and its research partners will analyse the feedback from the school and community on the interim changes and use it to help refine the proposal for permanent improvements, which will be presented to the community for further feedback. Construction of any permanent changes would most likely take place in 2021.
Project status: Delivery of the permanent design
The temporary changes outside Summerland Primary School came out of our co-design process that took place between December 2020 and March 2021. The co-design team included representatives from the school, parents, residents, Summerland Kindergarten and Bear Park Day Care.
The aim of our trial was to slow traffic down and signal to drivers that extra care is needed. Low-cost temporary changes are installed during the trial to reduce speed and increase safety around the school.
Trial infrastructure
The infrastructure was installed in time for term 3, 2021. We created a clearly visible, vibrant and safe school zone. To tell drivers they are entering a slow speed area, we added:
- school zone markings
- cycle lanes with a theme unique to Summerland Primary School to emphasise that there are school children in the area
- street art within kerb buildouts and on the footpath with a specific theme chosen by Summerland Primary School.
To slow down traffic and make crossing points safer for children, we added:
- new speed bumps and speed cushions on Harvest Drive and Summerland Drive
- kerb buildouts at the crossing on Summerland Drive to reduce lane width
- curb extensions at the corner of Brookwood Drive.
Next steps
We've completed the final design and have been able to source funding for the permanent design. We plan to install the changes in Mid-2025. Once we have a date set for construction, we will notify the community ahead of time.