Auckland Transport (AT) is working to improve walking facilities and connections in the Mount Roskill and Māngere Bridge areas.
AT want to make it easier for people to get around and will start by making sure the footpaths and roads are creating a safe environment through its Safer Communities programme.
The programme will create a greater priority for people walking and cycling, linking schools, shops and transport hubs as priority destinations. After hearing feedback from two public consultations, AT are now going to a third and final phase of consultation requesting feedback on more detailed designs.
Have your say online, feedback closes on 14 December.
Randhir Karma, AT’s Group Manager Network Management and Safety, says the Safer Communities programme will deliver important safety and community wellbeing benefits.
“The aim is for community street environments to feel safe when walking and cycling. We want these to become a preferred way for people to get around their neighbourhoods.
“We are focussing on providing safe places to walk and cross, reducing traffic speeds, improving driving behaviours and fostering greater community ownership over their environment,” he says.
“Our crash statistics show 80 per cent of all deaths and serious injuries occur on 50km/h local roads. And nearly half of those deaths and injuries involve vulnerable road users – children, the elderly, people walking and people on bikes or motorcycles. We want our local neighbourhoods to be free from road harm.
“AT has committed to reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on Auckland roads by 60 per cent over the next 10 years and one of the ways we want to do that is through the Safer Communities programme, working closely with communities and elected members to make local changes.
“We are keen to get feedback from residents at this next step in the project.”
Harry Doig, chair of the Puketāpapa Local Board, says that the board is supportive of changes that make the community safer around roads.
‘It’s a busy area for the local community so it’s great to see measures being proposed to make it safer for everyone, including the many school children using these roads.”
The improvements are a part of a safer communities programme where AT works with local communities to make physical improvements that help enable active transport choices such as walking and cycling.
The improvements are designed in partnership with the local community through the feedback received via several phases of consultation. The Safer Communities Programme is partly funded by the Regional Fuel Tax.
For more information and to have your say on these improvements go to at.govt.nz/haveyoursay
Feedback is open until 14 December 2018.
