Plans for proposed safety measures on key roads in the Bucklands Beach area have been changed to be more effective thanks to community feedback and Howick Local Board.
The board had asked Auckland Transport for options to make the area around The Parade, Lainds Road and Bucklands Beach Road safer, and proposed changes were consulted on in February through an online survey and public meeting.
Key changes to the proposals include reducing the number of speed bumps on The Parade, the raised crossing on Laings Road with further investigations needed and a change to the pedestrian refuge islands so they work in tandem with the bus stops.
The board held a public meeting in May, together with the Buckland’s & Eastern Beaches Ratepayers & Residents Association Incorporated and Auckland Transport, to close the feedback loop - what did the feedback say and what has changed as a result.
Local board chair Damian Light acknowledged, “If you want to know what is going on somewhere, the best people to talk to are the people who live there, who use the roads and travel them regularly.
“When I was elected to the coard and then as Chair, I committed to ensuring that we would create more opportunities to engage with the public on important issues and increase our communication.”
Howick Local Board Chair, Damian Light presenting at the May 2023 public meeting
“It’s vital that locals can understand and provide feedback on proposals. But it’s also important that we respond, explaining what we’ve heard and what we are doing differently because of the public feedback. When making any change, people deserve to understand why it’s required – often the why is even more important than the what”.
He goes on to add, “We’re investing in traffic calming in Bucklands Beach because the residents asked for us to make their roads safer. This area has beautiful beaches that are extremely popular, but the road design isn’t ideal – long, relatively-straight, narrow roads with limited parking means people are often crossing the road to the beach, especially children. We’ve heard loud and clear that most people in the area want something done”.
While speed cameras and better enforcement may help, the expert advice from Auckland Transport and the NZ Police, is that speed bumps are the most effective way to lower speeds by forcing people to slow down.
Several residents mentioned that there used to be similar safety issues along Eastern Beach, which were resolved by the speed bumps that were added. The ones proposed for Bucklands Beach are better engineered making them less disruptive while delivering safer outcomes.
The project is funded from the board’s Transport Capital Fund.
Bucklands Beach Walkway
What happens next?
Auckland Transport will complete the final costing and safety assessments before it comes back to the board. From here, the board are committed to keeping the Bucklands Beach residents informed of the outcome, including approximate dates for construction.
For more background details, have a read of the Bucklands Beach locals lay out safety issues OurAuckland article or visit Auckland Transports website here.
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