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St George Street & Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe - Intersection improvements St George Street & Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe - Intersection improvements

Proposal status: Closed

Reference number: NOP2021-008

Proposal update

In June 2022 we invited community feedback on our proposal to improve the St George Street and Kolmar Road intersection in Papatoetoe.

We now expect this project will be constructed within the next 2-3 months. We will be in touch with residents and nearby businesses prior to any construction taking place.

Download the proposal drawing for St George Street and Kolmar Road (PDF 2.5MB).

Proposal outcome

In June 2022, we proposed changes to improve the intersection at St George Street and Kolmar Road in Papatoetoe Town Centre. These changes are in response to the need to make the intersection safer for pedestrians.

After reviewing all the feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be constructed between late 2023 and early 2024. We will be in touch with residents before any construction takes place.

Community feedback

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

Most respondents supported this proposal. People told us that the intersection is unsafe and needed an upgrade.

Here is summary of the additional comments and queries we received, and our responses to them:

Crossing design

  • Suggestion to make it possible to cross diagonally at the intersection.
    Ideally pedestrian crossings at traffic signals should be perpendicular to the road rather than diagonal. This is less confusing, makes it easier for visually impaired people to cross the road, and means that pedestrians spend as little time on the road as possible when crossing.
  • Request to remove brick pavers and replace with painted white zebra crossing stripes on all pedestrian crossing points because vehicles stop over the crossings and block pedestrians.
    We’re going to remove the brick pavers and replace them with asphalt. White zebra crossing stripes are only used at zebra crossings and would be confusing if we used them at a signalised intersection.
  • Request to synchronise the pedestrian signals with the red and green traffic lights.
    We will synchronise the new pedestrian signals with the traffic lights to ensure it’s safe for everyone who uses this intersection.
  • Concern that the crossing is too close to the corner with Wallace Road.
    We’ve kept the crossing on Wallace Road in the same location because it’s where people most want to cross the road. It’s also in a good location to allow pedestrians and drivers to see each other and has plenty of footpath space where pedestrians can wait for the green light.

Pedestrians

  • Concern about safety of crossing pedestrians due to blind spots at the intersection.
    The main objective of this project is to improve safety for pedestrians, especially as they cross the road. The zebra crossing on the existing slip lane has poor visibility and means that pedestrians cannot cross the road in one journey. Removing the slip lane and replacing it with a longer signalised crossing will make crossing the road safer for pedestrians.
  • Concern that pedestrians do not and will not wait for a green light.
    Some pedestrians may not follow the rules, but the changes will improve safety for those who do.

Traffic

  • Concern about potential traffic build up once the proposed changes have been made. Concern that removing the slip lane will further increase congestion. Suggestion that wider roads or more lanes would improve the intersection more than the proposed changes.
    The focus of this project is to make Papatoetoe Town Centre safer for pedestrians. To improve safety for pedestrians, but also for all road users, traffic should travel slowly through the town centre.

    Widening the road or adding more lanes is not in line with the town centre plan. However, we have conducted traffic modelling that shows the new layout is expected to result in minimal delays to traffic while improving the safety of the intersection for all road users.

Parking

  • Concern that customers will have fewer places to park once the changes have been made.
    No parking spaces are being removed as part of this project.

Miscellaneous

  • Concern that many drivers do not follow the road rules at the intersection, especially motorbikes. Concern that people stop in the middle of the intersection and block the road for other drivers.
    Some people may not follow the rules, but the majority of people usually do follow traffic signal rules. The changes we proposed will improve the safety of the intersection. Any existing behavioural issues at this intersection should be reported to the police to investigate as appropriate.
  • Concern that many people use the area outside the G.A.S station as a road.
    We will forward this concern to the relevant AT team.
  • Concern that the painted cycle boxes are taking up space that cars need, as no one cycles down this road.
    The focus of this project is to improve safety for pedestrians, but also for other vulnerable road users like cyclists. The painted green cycle stop boxes will provide a safe place for cyclists to wait during red traffic lights and will only have a minimal effect on traffic. Safer cycling facilities encourage more people to cycle.
  • Request to straighten the Wallace Road and Kolmar Road intersection.
    There was a historical plan for aligning Wallace Road and Kolmar Road at the intersection by Manukau City Council over a decade ago. The plan was cancelled due to lack of justification and constructability issues. It is unlikely to be restarted.

    The intersection operates at an acceptable level. No evidence suggests justifications for any significant changes. Our current proposal to improve the intersection is a quick and effective safety improvement for pedestrians and other road users.

We're proposing improvements in your area

As part of our work to keep Aucklanders moving, we are proposing improvements to the St George Street and Kolmar Road intersection.

We are proposing to:

  • Remove the existing slip lane, pedestrian island and zebra crossing at 76 St George Street. The pedestrian island is the small triangular area where pedestrians must wait in the middle of the road before crossing Kolmar Road.
  • Extend the crossing for pedestrians at traffic lights across the width of Kolmar Road so that people can cross the road in one journey.
  • Widen the kerb along Kolmar Road at 76 St George Street. This will involve repainting the broken yellow lines.
  • Install tactile yellow pavers at each road crossing point. Tactile Pavers are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to crossings and safely across roads.
  • Paint new road markings to accompany the changes.
  • Paint green boxes on the road where cyclists can safely wait for lights to change at the intersection.

How this will benefit your neighbourhood

We would like to work with you to deliver safer roads in your neighbourhood. The proposed changes aim to improve safety of the intersection.

To cross Kolmar Road pedestrians must cross a zebra crossing and a crossing with traffic lights. Our proposal to remove the slip lane and extend the crossing with traffic lights turns two journeys, into one.

The proposed tactile pavers and sloped sections of footpath both aim to make Papatoetoe town centre a more pedestrian friendly area, where everyone can travel around safely and more easily.

Next steps

  • 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 with funding from the Auckland regional fuel tax.

Papatoetoe: Safe with us

Auckland Transport wants to make our roads safe for everyone: for people walking and cycling, people driving, and especially for our kids and senior citizens. Projects like this one at the St George Street and Kolmar Road intersection 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).