West Coast Road walking and cycling facilities West Coast Road walking and cycling facilities
Auckland Transport (AT) and the Waitakere Ranges Local Board are improving walking and cycling facilities along West Coast Road, Oratia.
Project overview
The improvements to walking and cycling facilities on West Coast Rd will help improve the safety of pedestrians and people on bikes (particularly school children) and encourage more people to walk and cycle.
The improvements focus on 3 areas:
- A new off-road shared path on the south side of West Coast Rd.
- Improvements to the pedestrian crossing by Oratia Kindergarten and Settlers' Hall.
- Improvements to the Shaw Rd pedestrian crossing.
There was a proposed footpath extension on the northern side of West Coast Rd, but it is not being progressed due to budgetary constraints.
The improvements are part of the June 2014 Oratia Village Masterplan.
Timeframe
- August 2016 - tendering process.
- September 2016 - construction began.
- July 2017 - shared path complete.
- February 2018 - construction complete (expected).
New off-road shared pedestrian and cycling path on the south side of West Coast Road
The shared walking and cycling path will start just east of the entrance to Oratia Kindergarten, with a link up to the existing pedestrian crossing on Shaw Road outside Oratia District School, and continue for 800m on the south side of West Coast Road until the Parrs Cross Road intersection.
- The shared path will be 3m wide except at Kaurimu Stream Bridge where there is only space for a 2.5m-wide path. A new safety barrier will be installed between the shared path and the road across Kaurimu Bridge.
- The footpath will be widened to accommodate the shared path. In some locations the shared path can fit within the existing berm area either side of the footpath.
- To accommodate the shared path outside 526-536 West Coast Road, 10 parking spaces are being removed and the kerb is being realigned. This is due to the existing limited space and to avoid taking land from properties. A recent parking survey carried out in October 2015 showed that there is low use of this parking area, and there are plenty of spaces available nearby to accommodate displaced vehicles.
- To accommodate the shared path outside 481-498 West Coast Road, 14 parking spaces are being removed and the kerb is being realigned. This is due to the existing limited space, and to avoid expensive works to the existing retaining walls and taking land from properties. A recent parking survey carried out in October 2015 showed that there is low use of this parking and there are plenty of spaces available nearby to accommodate displaced vehicles.
- At the intersection of Glengarry and West Coast Road, a kerb will be built out and a pram crossing (a crossing which facilitates the safe movement of wheeled equipment such as prams and wheelchairs without a kerb drop off) will be installed. There will be low-level planting in the kerb build-outs.
- To accommodate the shared path outside 478 West Coast Road the bus-stop facility will be changed from an indented bus bay to an on-road bus bay, and the kerb is being realigned. This will provide safety to the shared path users from vehicles turning into Glengarry Road.
- The project will not require the removal of any existing street trees.
Improvements to the pedestrian crossing facility by Oratia Kindergarten and Settlers' Hall
- A raised table will be installed on West Coast Road between Settlers' Hall and Oratia Kindergarten to provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians and people on bikes. A 'gateway treatment' will be installed approximately 220m to the west to slow down vehicles approaching the crossing from the 70km/h zone.
- Settlers' Hall vehicle entrance will be relocated to the east so that people can cross safely without the conflict of cars entering and exiting the car park. Four parking spaces will be removed on the southern side of West Coast Road and 2 spaces removed from Settlers' Hall car park. There are plenty of parking spaces available on the northern side of West Coast Road.
Improvements to the pedestrian crossing facility on Shaw Road
- A new raised table will be installed at the intersection of West Coast Road and Shaw Road to provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians and people on bikes. It will have kerb build-outs to narrow the width of the road and help reduce the speed of traffic. There will be low-level planting where the kerb is built out.
Design plans
Download the detailed design plans of the proposed improvements (PDF 500KB)
Public engagement
In August 2015, public feedback was sought on proposed improvements for pedestrians and cyclists on West Coast Road and Shaw Road funded by the Waitakere Ranges Local Board, using their own Local Board’s Transport Capital fund.
The community was told that further public feedback would be sought once AT had developed detailed designs for the proposals. However, to ensure the project is able to be constructed before funding expires, the Waitakere Ranges Local Board has decided it must progress to implementation without a second round of public feedback. We were also reassured by the strong support the proposal had last year.
Summary of feedback received
There was strong community support for the proposals and of those submitters that expressed support or opposition to the proposals:
- 81% supported the shared path on the southern side of West Coast Road.
- 99% supported pedestrian crossing improvements near Oratia Kindergarten (West Coast Road).
- 93% supported pedestrian crossing improvements on Shaw Road.
- There was also reasonable support for the proposed footpath extension on the northern side of West Coast Road, but it is not being progressed due to budgetary constraints.