Ararimu Road Ramarama safety improvements Ararimu Road Ramarama safety improvements
Auckland Transport (AT) is working with communities in Ramarama in order to improve accessibility and safety of people walking on Ararimu Road, Ramarama.
Project status: Construction
Project zone: South
Project overview
In July 2020 AT and its contractor Traffic Systems Limited (TSL) will start pedestrian safety improvement works near Ramama School on Ararimu Road, Ramarama.
Ramarama has been recognised as an area that will experience significant future growth. With the nearby Drury South development taking place, this growth needs to be supported by accessible and safer pedestrian facilities.
The improvements will be carried out predominantly on Ararimu Road between the Ramarama School and the Southern Motorway. In addition, there will be modifications made to the intersection of Ararimu Road and McEldownie Road / Hillview Road to slow the traffic in these side roads at the intersection.
Benefits
- Give high priority to pedestrian safety.
- Reduce traffic speed where appropriate and make it more consistent across areas.
- Improve people’s ability to cross the road safely.
- Build an environment which effectively changes the area from a rural area to be more like an urban area, which will support more compliant and alert driving behaviours.
Timeline
Construction work will happen between early July 2020 and mid-September 2020.
The project is being done in two stages to minimise travel disruptions.
Timeframes may change due to unforeseen circumstances or weather conditions.
Project details
Existing view of Ararimu Road outside Ramarama School Carpark.
The safety improvements will include:
- Installing a new mid-block signalised pedestrian crossing outside Ramarama Primary School.
- Constructing a new footpath, kerb, channel, parking spaces and pedestrian facilities on both sides of Ararimu Road outside Ramarama School.
- A re-arrangement of the school carpark to improve safety by removing all angled parking. The overall result of these changes is a net increase of 18 new designated parking spaces.
- Constructing a new footpath on the south side of Ararimu Road from Ramarama School to the bridge over the Southern Motorway.
- Placing red "School" road markings on Ararimu Road on either side of the school and in Hillview Rd on the approach to Ararimu Road. These red school markings are to raise driver awareness that they are approaching an area that is more like an urban environment with pedestrians.
- Raised speed tables on McEldownie and Hillview Roads at the intersection of Ararimu Road to encourage slower vehicle speeds where pedestrians are crossing these roads.
- Associated drainage improvements.
- Road surfacing and line marking changes to provide clear road delineation.
These changes will improve safety for people walking and other vulnerable road users around the Ramarama Primary School given the increased pedestrian traffic that is expected to be generated from the nearby Drury South development, in particular the increased number of children attending the school from the new residential precinct.
AT wants to make our roads safe for everyone – people walking and cycling, especially our kids and senior citizens, as well as people driving. Projects like this are another step towards our Vision Zero goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads.
Work is due to start in July 2020, but we will let you know if there are further changes or delays. Our contractors will send notices to affected residents 48-hours prior to construction starting.
Project stages
Stage 1: Footpath from Ramarama school to SH1 Motorway bridge.
Download the plans showing changes to Ararimu Road at Ramama School - stage 1(PDF 3.6MB)
Stage 2: Outside Ramarama school
Download the plans showing changes to Ararimu Road at Ramama School - stage 2(PDF 4.9MB)
Speed Limit Bylaw 2020
Ararimu Road, Hillview Road and McEldownie Road currently have posted speed limits of 70kph in the Ramarama School contract construction zone.
Under the new Speed Limit bylaw, the posted speeds for these three roads in the Ramarama School contract construction zone will change to 60kph on June 30 2020.
Public engagement
We undertook an extensive engagement with the Ramarama community on our safer improvement proposal. We heard your feedback in June 2019 and this has helped us to understand local concerns about the area. We are now ready to start pedestrian safety improvements that have been designed in close partnership with the Ramarama community. The proposal received positive responses from community members and stakeholders who supported these pedestrian safety improvements.
Thank you to everyone who submitted feedback.