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Albert Road, Devonport – Raised Pedestrian Crossing Albert Road, Devonport – Raised Pedestrian Crossing

Proposal status: Feedback closed 30 November 2022

Reference number: SSM2122-009

Proposal outcome

In November 2022, we proposed changes to improve safety for pedestrians crossing the road outside St Leo’s Catholic School on Albert Road, Devonport. After reviewing all the feedback we’ve received, we are proceeding with the works as proposed.

These works will help support Tāmaki Makaurau’s Vision Zero goal by improving the safety of pedestrians, especially for school children crossing Albert Road which is a busy arterial road.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed between July 2023 and June 2024. We will be in touch with local residents and businesses prior to any construction taking place.

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood. Locals have let us know that these changes will help improve the safety of pedestrians crossing here. We’ve also received some concerns about this proposal.

A summary of this feedback and our response:

Raised Crossing

  • Concern regarding the two power poles at the southern and eastern approaches of the crossing making it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians who want to cross. Request for AT to remove the two poles along the southern side of Albert Road to make pedestrians waiting to cross easier to see for drivers.
    The location of the power poles was a key consideration during the design of the crossing. Undergrounding or relocating the power poles would involve significant work. The cost and scope of work involved means that it is not feasible as part of the project.

    For this reason, we have kept the side islands on the southern side of the road and made them slightly wider. This will reduce the crossing distance and allow pedestrians to safely step out slightly further into the road so that they can see past the power poles. We visited this location and have checked the sight lines that pedestrians would have from the proposed crossing location to confirm that they will be able to see oncoming vehicles beyond the power poles.

    The widening of the side islands, along with the reduced driving speeds provided by installing a raised table, will ensure that visibility is sufficient for pedestrians to be able to cross the road safely.
  • Concern regarding increased tire noise due to the surface change between the road and the raised crossing.
    We understand that in isolated instances where drivers approach and drive over the raised crossing at high speeds, it can be a nuisance to residents. Waka Kotahi’s advice is that noise level generally increases with speed. As the raised crossing will help reduce speeds along Albert Road, it is likely that there will be a reduction in road noise levels after the crossing has been raised.

    For further information about speed and noise levels, please visit the Waka Kotahi website.

Other feedback

  • Concern about the changes AT has consulted on or have proposed in the Devonport area, particularly the No Stopping at Certain Times restrictions on Albert Road and the 30km/h speed reduction around the peninsula, which AT did not engage the community about.
    Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate that Devonport residents care deeply about their neighbourhood. We are continuing to work alongside the Devonport community to find the best transport outcomes together.

    Regarding the No Stopping at Certain Times restrictions between property 2A and opposite 15, we worked closely with the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, who represent the local community, to find a solution that addresses the issue of cyclist safety while also balancing local concerns regarding parking. For more information about this project and its consultation, we recommend that you visit the Albert Road, Devonport – Broken Yellow Lines web page.

    Regarding the changes within the Devonport Town Centre area, the proposal was developed alongside a community working group that was put together to represent the community and included members of the Devonport Local Board, North Shore Ward Councillors, Devonport Business Association, Bike Auckland, a group of local residents, and other members from the wider community.

Between 28 February to 3 April 2022, Auckland Transport invited the public to provide feedback on a proposal to set new permanent speed limits on approximately 1600 roads. Letters were sent to approximately 350,000 households in Auckland, in areas where changes were proposed. Devonport was included in this consultation. Information about this consultation and how to provide feedback was distributed through local newspapers, radio, and online via social media. AT also facilitated a series of online public webinars for anyone to attend in response to the cancellation of in-person events due to Covid-19 lockdowns.

Learn more about the speed limit changes in the Devonport Area.

We're proposing improvements in your area

As part of our Safe Speeds programme to improve pedestrian safety and promote safer speeds, we are proposing to raise the existing pedestrian crossing outside St Leo’s Catholic School. This proposed change is part of our plan to support safe speeds near schools. 

We are proposing to: 

  • raise the existing zebra crossing outside 2A Albert Road to slow motorists to a safe speed at the crossing point and increase pedestrian visibility
  • install side islands on the southern end of the crossing to improve visibility of oncoming traffic for pedestrians waiting to cross
  • install new tactile pavers at the crossing. These are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to crossings and safely across roads
  • install new streetlights next to the raised crossing to improve visibility at night
  • reconstruct the footpath to accommodate the changes
  • paint new road markings and install signage to support the proposed changes.

Download the proposal drawing for Albert Road (PDF 1.4MB).

With support from St Leo’s Catholic School, we are proposing to raise the existing zebra crossing at 2A Albert Road, between the School and St Francis de Sales and All Souls Church. This zebra crossing is used frequently by school children.

The benefits of a raised zebra crossing at this location include:

  • Elevating pedestrians, especially children, to be at eye-level of approaching drivers. This will help make pedestrians who are crossing the road or waiting to cross more visible to drivers from a distance.
  • Making crossing at this location more comfortable for everyone, especially people with prams and wheelchairs as the raised crossing will be level with the footpath.
  • The side islands at the southern end of the crossing will provide a space for pedestrians waiting to cross to step out further on to the road and observe oncoming traffic more clearly, past parked vehicles and the power pole at this location.

Give feedback

If you would like to post in your feedback, download and print our feedback form template, fill in your details and send it freepost using the address details on the form.

What happens next

  • We’ll consider 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 proposal is supported by the Auckland regional fuel tax and is part of the Safe Schools Programme.

Devonport: 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 on Albert Road 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).