35 Hill Street, Warkworth – Raised Zebra Crossing 35 Hill Street, Warkworth – Raised Zebra Crossing

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: 20100543

Proposal outcome

In March 2023, we proposed to raise the zebra crossing outside Warkworth Primary School, at 35 Hill Street. After reviewing all the feedback we received, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support Tāmaki Makaurau’s Vision Zero goal.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed in June-July 2023. We will be in touch with local residents and businesses and Warkworth Primary School prior to any construction taking place.

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge.

From the feedback we received, 64% of respondents let us know that the proposed changes would benefit the community. Respondents who supported the proposal mentioned that the changes would:

Reduce motorists travelling at unsafe or excessive speeds along Hill Street (including speeding by heavy vehicles).
Make it safer for pedestrians, particularly school children, to cross at 35 Hill Street at all times. This crossing links the 2 sections of school together, therefore it is used during school times as well as during the school start and end periods.
Improve safety of the community, particularly children, families and elderly.
Encourage vehicles to slow down at the crossing point and increase awareness of pedestrians (some locals have witnessed drivers not slowing down or stopping at this crossing).
Make it safer for the community to access local amenities including the Shoe Smith Reserve, fields and courts.
Slow vehicles down before approaching the school.

We also received some concerns and questions from the community regarding the proposed changes. A summary of this, categorised by key themes, and our responses are below.

Crossing design

Concern that the side islands used to narrow the road are unnecessary.

The side islands are designed to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and provide additional safety benefits, such as protecting pedestrians when they first enter the road. Also, the side islands are removable to support any future developments.

Concern that the raised crossing will impact driver comfort going over the bump.

This raised crossing will be 75mm high with a 1:15 grade slope which will make it gentle to travel over. The crossing is unlikely to impact driver comfort when people drive over the crossing at an appropriate speed. Raising the crossing will improve the safety of vulnerable road users, particularly children.

Concern regarding road safety (no further details provided).

Thank you for your feedback and we appreciate your concern for road safety in your neighbourhood. We have thoroughly reviewed the design of the crossing to ensure it is safe for all road users.

Concern that the changes will negatively affect the flow of traffic.

While the crossing will have a minor impact on traffic flow, these changes will improve the safety of vulnerable road users, particularly children. The community have let us know this crossing is well used by school children during the day and locals to access nearby amenities.

Concern that raising the crossing will create a hazard on Hill Street as this road is a busy through route for commuters travelling to East Warkworth.

Raising this crossing will improve safety by reducing driver speeds at all times to ensure the safety of road users and pedestrians. The proposed crossing will also be gentle as it will be 75mm high with a 1:15 grade slope.

Suggestion to install a crossing similar to the one outside Red Beach School where the approach has a higher ascend and reduced descend.

Thank you for your suggestion. At this location, the design we proposed is the most appropriate to lower speeds and improve pedestrian safety. Crossings with a higher ascend and reduced descend (Swedish style crossing) are usually only installed on roads where buses or large vehicles travel through often.

Find out more information about our crossing design standards.

Suggestion to remove the speed bump and install lights and barrier arms.

Raised crossings are proven to be effective in achieving lower speeds which reduces the likelihood and severity of injury if case of a crash between a vehicle and pedestrian. Raising this crossing helps to lower speeds to 30km/hr, which is within the survivable speeds, reducing the risk of death or serious injury.

Road safety

Suggestion to install a raised crossing on Falls Road, between Hudson Road and View Road.

We appreciate your suggestion to improve your local neighbourhood. We’ve recorded and forwarded your suggestion to the appropriate team for investigation. If you wish to follow up on this request, please call us on 09 355 3553 and quote the reference number CAS-723519-V6F8B6.

This project aims to improve pedestrian safety outside Warkworth Primary School so we will not be able to install a raised crossing on Falls Road, between Hudson Road and View Road as part of this project.

Suggestion to install a raised crossing on Kaspar Street, as children often cross here and don't see vehicles turning into the road.

This project aims to improve pedestrian safety outside Warkworth Primary School so we will not be able to install a raised crossing on Kaspar Street as part of this project.

Suggestion to address the poor driving behaviour outside the school (parking on broken yellow lines, double parking).

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you see a vehicle illegally parked, we encourage you to contact our Parking Enforcement Team by calling 09 355 3553 with the vehicle’s details to request a parking officer to visit the site.

Suggestion that the speed limit should be reduced along Hill Street to 30km/h as it would better suit the local urban and school environment.

We appreciate your suggestion and we’re in the process of adopting safe speed limits outside all schools.

As part of new legislation that has recently come into effect, speed limits around all urban schools will be reduced to 30km/h or 40km/h, and roads around rural schools will be limited to a maximum of 60km/h. This is a multi-year programme done in collaboration with Waka Kotahi NZTA, that will be rolled out by all road controlling authorities in New Zealand and our aim is to implement safe speeds outside all schools in Auckland by the end of 2027.

The next phase of our Safe Speeds Programme will propose lower speed limits around the majority of schools that have not been included in previous phases of the programme and will include Warkworth Primary School.

Consultation on the next phase of speed limit changes is expected to take place later this year. Find out more information about the next phase of our programme Katoa, Ka Ora.

Suggestion to extend the broken yellow lines outside #43 Hill Street to improve access.

Thank you for your suggestion. We’ve recorded and forwarded your suggestion to the appropriate team for investigation. If you wish to follow up on this broken yellow line request, please call 09 355 3553 and quote the reference number CAS-723528-T1F4Y1.

This project aims to raise the pedestrian crossing outside Warkworth Primary school so we will not be painting broken yellow lines outside 43 Hill Street as part of this project.

Speed

Concern that raising the crossing alone will not adequately address speeding along Hill Street, especially speeding after the red school road markings outside #44.

The raised crossing will slow vehicles down where pedestrians are most vulnerable. The proposed changes will also include signage to warn motorists to slow down when approaching the crossing.

If speeding remains a concern after the changes have been put in place, please contact us on 09 355 3553 to let us know and we will investigate speeding along Hill Street further.

Suggestion to install multiple speed bumps before this crossing to reduce speeds along this road.

The raised crossing at 35 Hill Street would encourage slower speeds and reduce the likelihood and severity of injury in case of a crash between a vehicle and pedestrian. However, if speeding remains an issue after the changes have been put in place, please contact us on 09 355 3553 to let us know and we will investigate speeds on Hill Street further.

Suggestion to raise the crossing outside #43 Hill Street to slow traffic before the school.

This project aims to raise the existing crossing outside Warkworth Primary school. Raised crossings are proven to be effective in achieving lower speeds. If speeding remains a concern after the changes have been put in place, please contact us on 09 355 3553 to let us know and we will investigate speeding along Hill Street further.

Project necessity

Concern that the project is a waste of money and concern that the changes are unnecessary as the area is already in a school zone and because the current crossing works fine.

Auckland Transport and the Rodney Local Board are partnering to improve pedestrian safety and encourage lower speeds here as vulnerable road users (people aged over 65 and under 14) use this crossing often.

Raised crossings lower speeds and reduces the risk of death and serious injury in the event of a crash. The current speed limit on Hill Street is 50km/hr which is well above the survivable speed in the event of a crash between a vehicle and pedestrian. This proposal aims to achieve a survivable speed of 30km/hr at this crossing point.

Before proposing any changes, we make sure the opportunity cost requirements are met.

Concern that the changes are unnecessary as there will be a reduction in traffic once the new motorway opens.

The aim of this project is to reduce speeds and improve pedestrian safety outside Warkworth Primary School. This crossing is currently highly used by the local community. Raising this crossing would make it safer for the community to cross here at all times, especially for vulnerable road users including school children and the elderly.

Concern that raising this crossing is unnecessary as it is patrolled by the school.

The existing patrolled crossing will only be managed during school times. Outside the patrolled times, such as during holidays, pedestrians could be at risk. Residents have let us know in their feedback that locals use this crossing outside of school times as well to access nearby community facilities like the Shoe Smith Reserve.

The existing flat zebra crossing also doesn’t provide the necessary speed reduction to improve safety. Raised crossings slow motorists down and reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in the event of a crash. This proposal would lower speeds to 30km/hr, which is within the survivable speeds in the event of an accident.

Request for injury or death statistics in this area (including pedestrian related deaths and injuries) that justifies the need for this proposal.

The number of deaths and injuries is not the only thing we consider when we propose to raise an existing crossing.

The current speed limit on Hill Street is 50km/hr which is well above the survivable speed in the event of an accident between a vehicle and pedestrian. Raised crossings are proven to be effective at slowing motorists down and reducing the risk of death or serious injury. The proposed changes would lower vehicle speeds to 30km/hr, which is within the survivable speeds in the event of an accident.

Request for the cost ratio of investment to savings for this project.

This proposal aims to improve pedestrian safety and reduce speeds at this crossing which can reduce the risk of death or serious injury in the event of a crash between a pedestrian and driver. Road crashes and the associated injuries have a high social cost that can include:

Loss of life or life quality
Loss of output due to temporary incapacitation
Medical costs
Legal costs
Property damage costs

In New Zealand, the total social cost of motor vehicle injury crashes in 2017 is $4.8 billion (up by 15 percent from $4.2 billion in 2016) at June 2018 prices.

Before we consult on this project, we investigate the opportunity cost requirements and make sure they are met.

Impact on environment

Concern that the project will increase noise or vibration in the area.

This raised crossing slope will be gentle, so it is unlikely to contribute to an increase in noise and vibration levels when motorists traverse the crossing at an appropriate speed.

Concern that raising the crossing will increase pollution as vehicles will have to brake, travel through the crossing and then accelerate up the road.

When we propose to install raised crossings, safety is the primary rationale. We believe that the increased safety benefits for pedestrians are likely to outweigh any increase in vehicle emissions and can potentially help make it easier for people to choose other modes of transport such as public transport, walking, and cycling. These modes of transport have a lower environmental impact and can help offset the environmental impact of installing a raised crossing.

Reducing carbon emissions is important to Auckland Transport and we are currently looking to better understand the environmental impact of raised pedestrian crossings and its implications on a broader scale. We are working alongside Waka Kotahi to review the effects of physical traffic calming measures on vehicle exhaust emissions.

Other

Suggestion to relocate the NZ post box to across the road (approximately outside #46B).

Relocating New Zealand Post boxes are outside the scope of Auckland Transport’s work. We recommend you contact NZ post directly by calling 0800 501 501 or visiting the NZ Post website.

Suggestion for funding to be used to upgrade roads in the area instead.

This project is funded by the Local Board Transport Fund and seeks to improve pedestrian safety outside Warkworth Primary school. Any future or current road upgrades are not affected by this proposal.

If you have any concerns about the roads in your neighbourhood, please get in contact with us on 09 355 3553. You can also get in touch with your local elected representatives to let them know about any suggestions to improve road safety in your neighbourhood.

Request to know the reduction in traffic once the new motorway opens.

We currently do not have this information.

We're proposing improvements in your area

Aucklanders have told us that moving around our city safely and easily is important to them. We are proposing some improvements to your area.

The Rodney Local Board has received requests from the community to improve pedestrian safety on Hill Street in Warkworth. They have asked AT to upgrade the zebra crossing outside Warkworth Primary School.

On their behalf, we are proposing to raise the existing zebra crossing at 35 Hill Street, Warkworth.

We are proposing to:

Upgrade the existing zebra crossing at 35 Hill Street in Warkworth to a raised zebra crossing.
Rebuild the footpath near the raised crossing and install tactile pavers at the crossing point. These are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people find their way to crossings and safely across roads.
Install 4 new side islands which narrow the road and reduces the crossing distance for pedestrians.
Install new pram crossings at the crossing point. These are gentle, sloped ramps from the footpath to the road. They will provide a smooth transition from the footpath to the raised crossing.
Rebuild part of the driveway of 36 Hill Street to support the proposed changes.
Install new signage and paint new road markings to support the proposed changes.

Download the proposal drawing for Hill Street (PDF 445KB)

These proposed changes will:

Encourage drivers to slow down and travel at a safer speed which improves safety for everyone. Slower speeds help reduce the likelihood of serious injuries or death in the event of an accident.
Improve visibility between drivers and pedestrians crossing the road or are waiting to cross.
The gentle slope from the footpath to the raised crossing will make crossing at this location more comfortable for everyone, especially people with prams and wheelchairs.

What happens next

We’ll listen to all the feedback we receive, and then decide the best way to move forward.
We’ll post the outcome of this proposal and a summary of community feedback on this webpage.
We can email you the proposal outcome as soon as it’s ready – just select that option when you fill in the survey.

More information

This project is funded by the Local Board Transport Capital Fund Programme. This programme uses funding within AT's annual budget to deliver on Local Board initiatives for local areas and communities.

Warkworth: Safe with us

Auckland Transport cares for your safety. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids and senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around Hill Street are another step towards our goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures (like minor time saving).