Halfway through the week and nearly halfway through the year! It already feels like it has been a long one. The official workload for local board members has been growing continually and some of our local board members continue to add to the stress, by walking out of meetings during karakias, pushing their personal agendas, not listening to expert advice, and just being difficult. On top of this we have had public consultation on dog access to beaches in north Rodney, lease renewals, endless reports, and the fight for the raised crossing outside Helensville Primary School. But with all this work comes some great wins for our community. Hope you enjoy some of the brief updates below, and if you have any questions, please feel free to touch base.
Accessibility at Rautawhiri park
A very detailed Accessibility Assessment has been done for Rautawhiri Park. This report is to identify physical barriers which may impair access for some people. Some of these issues identified include lack of handrails, footpaths not extending to all the amenities, tripping hazards and lack of signage and maps. These reports are very important to help the Local Board allocate their budgets, develop work plans, and ensure that everyone who lives in our communities can equally access and enjoy our parks and facilities.
New Footpaths and Bus Stops
The current setup of bus stops in Parakai outside Parakai Springs are not ideal. As the pools have become busier and more locals are using the improved bus service this has started to cause issues with people exiting the bus and crossing the road in front of the entry to Parakai Springs. Because of these issues Auckland Transport will be moving the 2 bus tops north slightly to make them easier to use and safer.
I am aware that Parakai locals have been asking for better footpaths to access the new playground, as currently you need to either walk through the driveways or over wet grass. Fortunately, with the development of these new bus stops, this has created the opportunity to build two new footpaths as you can see in picture below.
Parkhurst Road Footpath Extension
The footpath on Parkhurst Road, Parakai, is currently a footpath to nowhere. Ending abruptly and forcing residents at the end of Parkhurst Road to walk either on the road or next to an open drain. Following a strong push from locals and plenty of public requests, we have managed to get Auckland Transport to extend the current footpath by an impressive 350m, right to the last house
This is looking to be an extremely well-made path, which will include new streetlights, upgrades to the island crossing and fences next to the open drain.
This is proof that reporting issues and requesting upgrades to Auckland Transport does work, but it does take time and patience. If you would like to request a new footpath, new streetlights or something else, here is the link Report to AT
Why is my road closed??
Exciting news – Want to know more about a closed road and can’t find any details on Facebook? Check this out. The new road closures feature has been released and is now live on the AT website. You can see it in action here: Road closures in Auckland
This feature replaces the old roadworks and disruptions page. The former page was the most highly visited disruptions-related information page on our website. Its purpose was important to customers, and it also fulfilled AT’s statutory requirements around communicating road closures.
However, the former page had a very high dissatisfaction rating from customers due to a combination of the type of information it held and its user experience:
- It was difficult to search for and find relevant information
- It didn’t display properly on mobile devices
- The information was sometimes inaccurate or out-of-date.
The new page is quick to access, easy to read and broken down into local areas.
Slow down on Rautawhiri Road
Using the Transport Capital Fund programme, the Rodney Local Board has committed to finding a solution to speeding vehicles on Rautawhiri Road outside the entrance to the busy park and sports fields. This is also a concern for a growing number of children crossing the road to the new subdivision.
Following implementation of stage one, Auckland Transport will monitor for changes in driver behaviour before deciding whether to install a pedestrian refuge or zebra crossing.
Stage 1 - gateway treatment
- install two electronic driver feedback signs on approaches to proposed pedestrian facility near existing refuge
- new signage, road markings with speed (50) and SLOW markings near eastern approach (near day care) to alert speed change from 80 to 50km/h.
I would love to hear how you have found these new additions. In my next update I’ll also have more details on when your new council property valuations will be available. At this stage they are looking to be available early June.
Mark Dennis, Rodney Local Board
