Walking or cycling to school in Mount Roskill will now be safer, thanks to Auckland Transport’s Safer Communities programme.
80 per cent of all road deaths and serious injuries occur on 50km/h local urban roads.
Nearly half of those deaths and serious injuries involve vulnerable road users – children, elderly, people walking and people on bikes or motorcycles.
Mount Roskill is the first community to benefit under the programme, with Mangere Bridge and Papakura to follow.
Safety improvements will see wider footpaths - with clearer boundaries between them and properties. There will also be raised pedestrian crossings and raised speed tables to encourage safer speeds.
Bryan Sherritt, AT’s executive general manager safety, says communities were selected for this programme based on the location of schools, facilities such as train stations and town centres, and the number of safe crossings already in place.
He says this is an important part of AT’s Vision Zero mandate that aims to reduce road death and serious injury numbers to zero by 2050.
“Carr Road and Frost Road are close to three large schools and have on average a minimum of 150 – 200 people walking per hour in morning and afternoon peaks. It was clear that we needed to make these roads safer, especially for kids walking to school.”
Puketāpapa Local Board chair, Harry Doig, says the board is very supportive of the Safer Communities programme.
“It will make walking and cycling in this area a lot safer, especially with so many schools nearby.”
Auckland mayor Phil Goff says the Safer Communities programme is much needed.
“In the year to September last year, in Auckland, nearly 40 people died on our roads and 500 sustained serious injuries. A quarter of those who died were pedestrians and cyclists.
“This programme makes it safer and easier for our kids to walk and cycle to school, which in the past was how most people went to school.
“By reducing the need to take our children to school by car, we cut back peak hour morning traffic congestion and reduce carbon emissions—it just makes sense.”
Mount Roskill Primary School principal, Mike O'Reilly is supportive of the programme and is looking forward to safer roads around the school.
Construction in Mount Roskill will start on 8 March 2020 and is due to be finished mid-year.
See more at at.govt.nz/driving-parking/road-safety/safer-communities-programme/mt-roskill
