New road safety improvements around town centres and schools are coming to the North Shore.
Auckland Transport is delivering new pedestrian and kea crossings and intersection improvements over the next year in the North Shore ward, partially funded by the Regional Fuel Tax. An assessment of opportunities for lower speed limits in key areas will also be undertaken.
North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills says the investment is significant and will make it safer for people to walk to school and through local town centres, as well as making intersections safer for all road users.
“There were 57 crashes resulting in death or serious injury in the North Shore ward last year, and we need to reduce that. Three crashes resulted in deaths," he says.
“We’re investing $3.7 million this year alone to make our streets safer here on the Shore.
“It’s really important for people to be able to cross roads safely without putting their lives at risk, and the new crossing work is a good first step towards improving safety in our suburbs."
Councillor Chris Darby agrees with the focus on safety around schools.
“Improvements at Hauraki, Takapuna, Northcote and Willow Park will make a big difference to the safety of our youngest residents," he says.
“By making walking and cycling to school safer and easier, more mums and dads will be able to leave the car at home for those peak time school drop-offs and pick-ups.”
Auckland Transport’s Group Manager Network Management and Safety, Randhir Karma, says road safety is the number-one priority for the organisation.
“We are gearing up to deliver a number of projects on the North Shore in the next year to bring down the deaths and serious injury rate.”
“We are investing approximately $700 million across the region to make our roads safer for all road users. We are committed to reducing death and serious injuries on our roads by 60 per cent in the next ten years.”
Click here for a full list of North Shore road safety improvements slated for 2018-19.
