Following Auckland’s first week back at Alert Level 1, it’s a nice change to be able to provide an update that doesn’t contain details of restrictions to our movements or behaviour. However, although it’s great to feel like we’re back to ‘normal’, Alert Level 1 requires us to remain alert to our own health and our hygiene practices to help prevent another outbreak; and to keep track of our movements to help contain it if it does eventuate.
Many of you will remember the hundreds of people who came to a public meeting in St Heliers voicing concerns about Auckland Transports proposal to add 12 raised pedestrian crossings removing 40 carparks from St Heliers Village. Following that meeting AT’s Chief Executive admitted to me and others that the way AT had gone about engaging with the St Heliers Community wasn’t right. He committed to improving the process and I’m pleased to advise he did exactly that. AT set up a working group consisting of representatives from the St Heliers Business Assoc, the St Heliers/Glendowie Residents Assoc, the Orakei Local Board and myself who fought hard to input into a new draft that took into consideration the considerable feedback received from the original proposal .
18 months later a new AT draft safety plan has been released for St Heliers
The objective of the proposal is to improve safety and accessibility for all. Having acknowledged the overwhelmingly negative response to the initial proposal and its impact on parking, AT have reconsidered.
There will be no loss of parking (the initial proposal would have seen 40 spaces lost)
4 zebra crossings will be installed at key points in the village (rather than the 12 were initially proposed) and footpaths will be re-surfaced
A 4-metre-wide shared path, separated by a white line, will allow space for cyclists, pushchairs and those exiting their vehicles while protecting vulnerable pedestrians.
There will be 2 raised crossings to meet the 30km/h speed limit approved by the AT Board and which will be implemented in 2021
Feedback on the updated proposals opened on 12 October and will close on 2 November – I would urge you to take this opportunity to let Auckland Transport hear how you feel. This has been an important learning for Auckland Transport which I trust will result in an attitude shift regarding public consultation moving forward. Full details of the proposals and the feedback form are available on AT’s website.
Another Auckland Transport consultation which may be of interest concerns pedestrian safety improvements at 80 Lunn Avenue, Mount Wellington in response to requests from the community to provide safe places to cross this busy stretch of road. Consultation on the proposals below is open until 3 November.
• Install a new pedestrian island which is a raised platform in the middle of a road that makes it safer to cross the road by breaking up the journey.
• Install new side islands which are raised platforms at the edge of a road and shorten the multilane section of Lunn Avenue by approximately 30 metres to help. This will reduce the crossing distance and encourage lower driver speeds.
• Install tactile pavers which are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road.
• Reconstruct the footpath near the crossing and install new road markings and signage.
Moving away from transport, here is an idea to help our environment. It’s now time to take part in the second of this year’s bird counts organised by the Eastern Bays Songbird Project As close as possible to 9am anytime between 17 October and 1 November, they are asking everyone to please take 5 minutes to tally the birds you see in your garden. Anyone old or young can take part and all the information you need is available here. These counts are so important for monitoring the project’s progress in its mission of bringing back birds to our local areas and assisting Council with statistics in this area.
Finally, there are a couple of other opportunities to Have Your Say, this time on wider Auckland Council bylaws which may impact you. Staff have proposed a series of improvements to the Alcohol Control Bylaw 2014 which if passed, allows us to ban alcohol in public places including Auckland Domain; and the Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw 2014 which sets out the rules around burial and the use of monuments and adornments. Consultation on these changes opened last weekend and will run until 13 November. The bylaws in their current form, the proposed changes and details of how to submit feedback are available on the Have Your Say page on our website.
As always, I welcome your views to help me frame my decision making.
Desley