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Delays fixing Northland roads will cost lives locals say
Northlanders say slow progress on their region's broken roads is going to cost lives and keep a chokehold on the region's economy.
The indefinite closure of the Mangamuka Gorge for the second time in as many years has them asking why State Highway 1 isn't held to the same standard in Tai Tokerau as it is in other parts of the country.
Residents like businessman and farmer Ian Walker have watched their day to day freight costs rise by the thousands of dollars.
"It's quite significant 'cause it's an extra 30 minutes driving [the detour]. It's already expensive to bring goods in and send goods away from Kaitaia because of the state of our roads," he said.
"For me, State Highway 1 should be to a decent standard from the Cape to the Bluff.
Ian Walker said the Mangamuka Gorge had been a problem since the day it was built. It was never equipped for the heavy vehicles that used it, he said.
"We get temporary patches on potholes. So fixing a road like the Mangamuka Gorge is highly unlikely to be done correctly. It's one of the windiest stretches of road in the world. Thirteen kilometres of bends that practically come back on themselves. Trucks can't turn on most of the corners cause they're just too windy. They end up driving on the other side of the road," he said.
"Surely a geotech survey of the 13 kilometres, work out where all the weak points are and do the job properly or find another route."
High on the list of common complaints was State Highway 10 up the east coast.
Potholes weren't a problem there as much as narrow bridges, speed reductions and scalloping of the road surface.
Not just Auckland or Waikato, but the whole length of the road."
People from Mangamuka, south of the gorge, argued they were in an even worse situation.
The township comprises a smattering of houses, one dairy, and one radio station.
However it was the main detour that drivers were meant to take to avoid the Mangamuka Gorge. Baird said, "It's got the 50 tonne trucks, it's got the logging trucks...it's got a whole volume of cars, passenger transport that it doesn't normally have, or shouldn't normally have, and isn't really spec'd for "
He said when it came to tourists using the road over summer and potentially sharing it with trucks good infrastructure was literally going to be a matter of life or death.
Even the council has requested for MPs to fly over and see the damage themselves.
In a statement, Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency Regional Manager for Auckland and Northland Jacqui Hori Hoult said decisions on the nature of repairs and reconstruction including the time and the cost required to complete them would depend on the outcome of geotech assessments, currently underway.
Law change proposal to transform streets
The Minister of Transport is proposing to amend land transport rules and the Local Government Act so councils can more easily transform streets to support public transport and more active forms of travel.
The legislative changes under the ‘Reshaping Streets’ programme will allow local councils to pilot changes to street layouts for up to two years as a form of consultation.
Auckland City Rail Link tunnel digging nears completion
Auckland's City Rail Link is nearing a significant milestone, with the tunnel boring phase of the project almost completed.
On 7 September the prime minister took a tour from Mount Eden Station through the first of the tunnels to check on the progress.
There's nearly a light at the end of the tunnel for Auckland's City Rail Link.
The boring of the second of the twin tunnels from Mount Eden to Britomart is due for completion by the end of the month, while workers are already starting to lay tracks at the Waitematā end of the line.
Ardern said the journey put the sheer scale of the project in perspective. "For residents in Auckland they see the activity above ground compared to the activity underground it's just ginormous, so I'm looking forward to the day when New Zealanders will be able to see it for themselves," she said.
Wood said that when completed, the City Rail Link would provide the equivalent passenger capacity of 16 lanes of motorway.
"What you are seeing here is the heart of a new mass rapid transit system for Auckland, this will double the capacity of our city's heavy rail network," Wood said.
The link would eventually integrate with Auckland's light rail, harbour crossing, and rapid transit to the northwest.
It's hoped that it will accelerate projects such as creating bike lanes, pedestrian zones, and better transport infrastructure, as well as reducing speed limits and restricting traffic.
It's part of a wider initiative to meet emissions reduction targets, including reducing car trips by 20 per cent by 2035.
But the minister couldn't confirm an updated budget for the project which had already increased by $1 billion while negotiations were still underway with the six companies involved in its design and construction.
"We have a current project budget of $4.5b. It's been well signalled that those long months of Covid delays where the site had to be effectively closed down or significantly reduced in terms of its activity are going to create some push out in terms of the opening date and some additional costs.
"Those are still under negotiations with the main contractor, and we have to allow that process to work through."
Likewise, City Rail Link chief executive Sean Sweeney could not yet provide an updated end date, with Covid related delays still being worked through.
"We were advising a December 2024 completion date that was the beginning of 2021 ... since then we've had nearly 300 days of Covid impacted restrictions, we've had two lockdowns, we've had Omicron, we've had about 100 days of Auckland borders all of those things would have impacted that date."
He aimed to have a clearer timeline in place by the end of the year.
Hamilton city councillors complain about transport spending
Two Hamilton City Councillors are calling on the government and its transport agency, Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency, to give Hamilton a fairer share of transport funding. Councillors Sarah Thomson and Dave Macpherson are concerned that significant long term funding for city transport improvements has been made available by the government to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, but few funding commitments have been offered to Hamilton for the years ahead.
“Hamilton is growing faster, proportionally, than those cities and is the centre of the upper North Island area of major economic development. Yet we can’t get any clear funding support for the transport improvements that are vital to Hamilton residents being able to move around the city,” says Thomson.
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Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency and the government have made major commitments to the 30 year Let’s Get Wellington Moving Plan. They’ve also committed their support for Auckland’s 10 30 year Future Connect transport plan, and have provided significant funding for Christchurch’s cycleways.”
The Rail Link has had its share of staffing struggles, with the project short of 100 steel workers in January, although Sweeney said the situation had improved in recent months.
"It looked like a set of a sort of horror movie sometimes, you'd come onto site and there was no one here, and you really started wondering 'where is this going to end?' But they kept turning up."
The project now had about 2000 people working on it, with 21 rangatahi also securing full time employment through an internship programme.
Meanwhile, the businesses near the station, especially those on Albert Street, continue to be impacted by noisy construction and closed streets.
A Targeted Hardship Fund had been set up for these businesses, but only a quarter had been given out so far. "They've allocated... $12m and we've spent $3m, so we've still got enough money to keep making payments for some time to come."
“It doesn’t make sense that a faster growing city like ours isn’t getting the same support.
In Hamilton, we continue to get ad hoc funding for small projects here and there and these are usually delayed for many years after they are needed.”
Councillor Macpherson says that Hamilton has had its ‘Access Hamilton’ transport strategy in place for some years, but the city can’t deliver it alone.
“Even though we are a flat city, compact and ideal for cycling and getting around relatively easily, we are falling further and further behind in the types of transport improvements needed to ensure we don’t become totally car dominated with gridlock and have the safe transport alternatives that will overcome that.”
“We need a funding agreement that looks ahead at least 10 years so we can actually plan ahead with confidence.”
Thomson and Macpherson point out that 64% of the carbon emissions in Hamilton come from transport mainly cars, one of the highest figures in the country.
“We have the plans in place and are trying to support the government’s environmental and safety strategies. We just need them to come to the party in the same way they are doing for the other large centres,” says Thomson.
Former roading contract manager facing fraud and corruption charges named
A former roading contract manager facing fraud and corruption charges has been named after losing a bid for continued name suppression.
Jason Koroheke faces three charges of obtaining by deception and 12 charges of acceptance of gifts by agent.
He is being prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and has pleaded not guilty.
Koroheke worked for Broadspectrum and was responsible for awarding road maintenance work to subcontractors.
The SFO alleges he was the primary offender in a number of schemes where he allegedly accepted gifts in exchange for awarding work as well as submitting false invoices.
The subcontractors are alleged to have submitted invoices to Broadspectrum, both real and fake, which were authorised by Koroheke.
Once Broadspectrum paid the subcontractors, they are alleged to have used this money to provide gifts to Koroheke in the form of cash, goods or services.
In this way, Koroheke is alleged to have benefitted by more than $1 million.
Four subcontractors who have also been charged in relation to the allegations are Frederick Pou and Jeanette Pou of Coastal Roading Contractors, Richard Motilal of Engineering and Aviation Supplies, and one other who has continued name suppression.
The four have all pleaded not guilty.
Aurelian Mihai Hossu (also known as Michael Hossu), a former maintenance manager of Broadspectrum who worked with Koroheke, pleaded guilty in April to four charges of acceptance of gifts by agent.
He was sentenced to 11 months home detention in June.
2,000km of roads being resealed, rebuilt over next six months
Commuters may experience disruption on the roads this summer.
More than 2,000km of roads will be resealed or rebuilt across the country over the next six months.
Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency and Operations National Manager Neil Walker told Mike Hosking orange cones on the roads can be frustrating.
He says they're doing their best to make sure it doesn't disrupt people.
NZTA M7 Approved Road Marking Materials List 2022
An updated version of the NZTA List of M7 Approved Products has been realised effective 30th September 2022. This supersedes the previous version from November 2021.
The link is: https://bit.ly/m07list
New Auckland bridge cost $38m, but wheelchair user cannot access it
A wheelchair user says Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency has failed to cater for the needs of the disabled community in its construction of a new $38 million bridge.
Māngere Bridge resident Richard Goulstone has osteogenesis imperfecta, an inherited genetic degenerative condition which leaves sufferers with brittle bones.
The 52 year old lives just up the road from the new Ngā Hau Māngere walkway and cycleway, which spans Auckland's Manukau Harbour. It is a replacement for the Old Māngere Bridge, which was used by the community for over a century before being closed due to damage.
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Goulstone visited Ngā Hau Māngere soon after it opened to the public on 27 August, but was unable to get over the bridge due to the steep and long climb from Coronation Rd.
He said because of his condition, he was not as strong as he used to be and getting across the bridge was too hard. Anyone in a non electric wheelchair or a walking frame would find it a challenge, he said.
"It's too late now in the case of this project. But I just hope that if Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency is doing something like this in the future that it talks with the Disabled Persons Assembly NZ during the design phase."
He said he had sent an email to Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency outlining his concerns but had yet to hear back from the agency.
Disabled Persons Assembly NZ chief executive Prudence Walker said she didn't have any details about Ngā Hau Māngere or Goulstone's complaint.
But she said it was a concern when anyone with a disability had to deal with such issues.
"Accessibility impacts on disabled people's lives every day and this person has highlighted the problems he faces just getting around his local community," Walker said.
She said it was important government agencies like Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency worked more closely with the disabled community.
"It's about working in partnership with communities like ours to discuss what works for people, not just meeting minimum requirements."
CCS Disability Action spokesperson Vivian Naylor said the organisation was involved in a panel when the project's architects discussed it with Auckland Council in 2014, but it had not had any further involvement since.
She said there was a longer timeframe between the project's initial design and its construction and there may have been changes to the bridge since it was consulted on.
In a statement, a Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency spokesperson said the deck of Ngā Hau Māngere has a gradient of 1 in 33, which was in keeping with the New Zealand Building Code and the Auckland Transport code of practice for shared use paths.
"The Māngere and Onehunga sides of Ngā Hau Māngere may appear to have different slopes due to the differing lengths on either side of the central arch. This is due to the different elevations of the connection points at either end."
The spokesperson did not answer questions about what consultation had been carried out with disabled groups, but said Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency and lead design consultant Aurecon had worked with stakeholders and community leaders on the design.
Dangerous road for cyclists will get $1.87m safety treatment
He said the area around Boys’ High and Rangitīkei St was particularly difficult.
It had been the scene of more than 173 crashes in the past decade, including one fatal, three serious injuries and 35 minor injuries. Cyclists were involved in nine of the crashes, and one cyclist died in 2002.
City councillor Brent Barrett said as a reasonably experienced cyclist, he felt “pretty nervous” in that area, and fellow councillor Lorna Johnson said she was not confident to navigate it at all on a bike if she could plan a safer route.
One of Palmerston North’s black spots for cycle crashes will be made safer through a $1.87 million subsidy from Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency.
The city council has scored the money from a national $30m Streets for People fund (no relation to the council’s streetscape works around Te Marae o Hine/The Square) and will use it to create cycleways on Featherston St.
The improvements will stretch from Aroha St to North St, including the intersection with Rangitīkei St/State Highway 3.
The 800m of Featherston St passes Palmerston North Boys’ High School, Central Normal School, and many large businesses including Countdown supermarket, Mitre 10, and the McDonalds drive through.
It carries more than 15,500 motor vehicles every weekday, and a lot of cyclists who mayor Grant Smith said “swarmed like bees” to engulf the intersection at peak times.
Council group manager for transport and development Hamish Featonby said Featherston St had already been identified as needing improvements as part of the city’s cycling network.
It was a key project in the city’s urban cycling master plan, that aimed to improve the number, quality and connectivity of cycleways across the city to 120km by 2030, and increase the number of people on bikes.
The council has nearly $2 million from Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency to make the route and Rangitikei St intersection safer for cyclists.
The Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency money allowed it to be moved forward on the priority list for works.
Featonby said the council would involve schools, businesses and the wider community in developing a plan for the project.
It would start with “a relatively blank slate” and several solutions would be tested before final designs were developed.
The project would be complicated, working around the state highway, existing cycle lanes, parallel parking on the street, a median strip and four bus stops.
Planning work would happen this year, with construction likely in 2023/24.
One solution that Featonby confirmed would definitely not feature would be planter boxes, a reference to the Main St protected cycle lane trial that councillors pulled the plug on in April.
He said making the area safer for cyclists would help make it safer for all road users.
Smith said the successful funding application was a real win for the city, and Barrett said it was good to put the focus on difficult intersections, rather than the relatively easy stretches between them.
The Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency money will cover 90% of the costs of the project. The city
council is adjusting its budget to cover its 10% share over two years from future budgets.
Pothole crisis: Automobile Association blasts state of New Zealand's roads as worst seen in more than a decade
"Despite the challenges, maintaining our roads safely is a top priority for Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency, with $2.8 billion being invested to maintain and operate the country's 11,000km of State Highways through the 2021 2024 National Land Transport Programme."
Frustrations are growing among New Zealand motorists as potholes continue to pop up across the country.
Automobile Association (AA) road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said the frustration was unprecedented. "I've been at the AA 12 years and I've never experienced anything like this.” From the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South, people want to vent their frustration about the poor state of New Zealand's roads, Thomsen said.
"What I hear most often from people is, 'The roads have never been this bad' or that they've just never seen the roads in this sort of state so people are really concerned.
"We survey our members the quality of the roads is the number one concern and, earlier this year, it was up to 68 per cent of AA members were really concerned about the quality of our roads and I think that number would be even higher if we did that survey again now."
Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency issued a statement blaming the wild winter for the current state of the country's roads. "Water and roads don't mix, and this winter we have seen it all: rain, surface flooding, swollen rivers, king tides and more rain. Cracked roads allow water to penetrate a road’s surface, causing it to crack and break, which then creates potholes," the statement said. "Heavy rain and weather events also make repairs extremely challenging, both on state highways and local roads. Rain can cause temporary fills to blow out, while also creating new potholes and making existing potholes larger.
While Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency said pothole repairs were carried out through its State Highway maintenance programme, Thomsen said the AA had been concerned about the country's road conditions for years.
"We need to actually get on top of this now because these potholes, they're like a slow leak if we don't fix them now, it just snowballs and leads to bigger and more costly work down the track," he said. "We've been underinvesting in road maintenance for a number of years now and obviously, fixing potholes is one thing… I think the bigger and more important thing is actually investing enough so we don't have as many potholes developing."
Advocates demand safer roads after two Auckland cyclists killed in one week
Advocates are calling for safer biking conditions after two fatal cycling incidents on Auckland roads in one week.
David Lane, a “very experienced” cyclist, was killed in Flat Bush on Saturday.
Last year saw a 64% increase in the number of road fatalities compared to the year prior, with 59 people dying in crashes, bucking a downward trend since 2017.
Tony Mitchell from Bike Auckland is also calling for safer roads for cyclists.
“There are too many fatalities on Auckland roads,” he said.
“It comes down to a separated cycleway. We need to build safer infrastructure for people who walk and people on bikes.
“When you do that you also then encourage more people to take on active mobility, which has positive benefits.”
Mitchell said he supported Auckland Transport’s goal of zero cycle deaths, but he was unsure how that was going to happen.
Another cyclist, Brian Potter, died on Tuesday afternoon, after an incident on Dairy Flat Highway during a Sunday group cycle ride.
“Council and government are simply not doing enough, and as a result people are being harmed,” Cycling Action Network product manager Patrick Morgan said.
Morgan said the number one thing needed to protect cyclists was roads that were made for them.
“Education is not the solution telling people to drive and cycle better is not nearly as effective as better infrastructure.
“We need protected bike lanes on busy streets, we need traffic management like reduced speed,” he said.
Patrick Morgan is the project manager at New Zealand's national biking charity, Cycling Action Network. Morgan praised Wellington's recent decision to cut 80% of city wide speed limits to 30kph and thought Auckland should do the same.
“It’s encouraging that Auckland has reduced speeds to 30kph on some of its roads, but it's not enough,” he said.
At least 12 cyclists have been killed on New Zealand roads since January, an increase from six deaths in 2021.
The roads aren’t just dangerous for those on two wheels.
“I want to see Auckland Transport respond to the fatalities that have happened prior to this. I want to see the action plans they have in place,” he said.
Auckland Transport agreed “too many people are dying” on Auckland roads.
Deaths of people outside vehicles particularly people on foot and bikes were trending upwards compared to the five year average, a spokesperson said.
“This is devastating. These are not just statistics.
“Road safety is absolutely the top priority for Auckland Transport. We are striving to create a Safe System on our roads so when someone makes a mistake, that does not end a life. It’s vital that we continue this work.”
Auckland Transport said it was planning to create 260km of new or upgraded cycle facilities and was working to reduce speed on its most high risk roads.
SH73/SH75 Christchurch to Akaroa and SH74 Lyttelton new permanent speed limits
From Friday 2 September 2022, new safer speed limits apply to SH73 and SH75 from Christchurch to Akaroa, on some local side roads and SH74 at Norwich Quay/Gladstone Quay in Lyttelton. A small change in speed on these routes will make a big difference to the outcome of a crash and the people involved.
SH73 in Christchurch is a busy urban corridor, while SH75 south of Halswell passes through many rural townships and intersections, school zones, open roads and constrained hilly areas, with no separation of traffic travelling in opposite directions. SH74 at Lyttelton is a thoroughfare for freight to and from the port, and people walking and cycling.
In the last decade, there have been 739 crashes on SH73 and SH75*. Nine people were killed and 72 people suffered serious injuries in these crashes, leaving families grieving and many people with potentially life long injuries.
The best thing we [Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency] can do to prevent people from dying or being seriously injured is to ensure speed limits are safe and right for the road, especially on state highways where pedestrians and cyclists mix with general traffic.
To help remind drivers, the date the new speeds apply will be advertised in local media for four weeks. There will also be temporary electronic signs on the roadside for a couple of weeks and local police will be in the area closer to the time.
The EV 'social equity' dilemma that may put apartment residents off electric cars
This long yellow cable would be the only way that Mauricio Perez could charge his EV in his apartment car park. Holding a 100 metre cable, Mauricio Perez laughs about his bizarre predicament. This yellow cord is the only way he could feasibly charge his electric car at home.
He'd have to plug it into his living room's powerpoint, run it down his third level apartment's balcony, and then into the building's car park up to his Tesla.
"I think given the safety issues that are involved, that's probably not acceptable," Mauricio says.
"What if someone trips over the cable?" Mauricio isn't actually an EV Rapunzel.
But the cord analogy physically demonstrates the logistical nightmare that he is in as an EV owner who rents an apartment.
Data given to ABC News shows the vast majority of private home chargers for EVs are going into standalone homes or units.
Despite misconceptions, most EVs only need a standard plug to charge their batteries. That's all that Mauricio wanted access to in his allocated car park when he bought his Tesla in December.
It was not simple. The vast majority of apartments in Australia are managed by body corporates. These entities represent all the people who own the apartments in a building.
Shared spaces like car parks and gardens are common property. You need body corporate approval to renovate them. And works need to go to a vote.
The power that supplies shared spaces is also generally managed by body corporate too.
Mauricio says he got quotes for an EV charger to be installed in his allocated car park that would connect to his individual meter box.
When the quotes came back in the several thousands, Mauricio says he offered to pay, despite knowing that he couldn't take this infrastructure to his next rental.
"The landlord was really accommodating, as far as allowing the infrastructure to go ahead," Mauricio said.
"(They) needed to approve everything so that it was safe, and it didn't overload the mains or didn't inconvenience the power draw for the whole apartment," Mauricio says.
Ninety five per cent of private property EV chargers go into homes. With all of these complications, it is no surprise that specialist EV charger installers aren't getting a lot of work from apartment owners right now.
The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) told ABC News that 95 per cent of personal EV chargers are going into homes, with apartments largely missing out.
Russ Shepherd is the local director of an installation company, MyEnergi. He says his "heart typically sinks" when somebody calls up wanting a charger installed in an apartment car park.
"The biggest challenge is navigating the body corporate approvals to be able to get the point where one of the installers can turn up and actually install the charger," he says
He says the reason why apartment jobs are often far more expensive is all the copper wiring involved. Plus some buildings need extra work on mains.
Some of the more complicated apartment jobs that MyEnergi has quoted have started at $20,000. This compares to as low as $1,500 for freestanding homes.
Another company, Jet Charge, says they are typically done for between two to four times the cost of a home.
Its co founder, Ellen Liang, says they are getting some apartment installations done by working with body corporates to explain the benefits of having EV infrastructure.
She says the tide is shifting and apartments managers are getting more open minded. But there is still a lot of wrangling and questions.
"There's a range of excuses that basically mean that the decision just gets drawn out," she says.
The EVC estimates that around 55,000 people now own either a fully electric or hybrid vehicle in Australia. The projections are that this will keep growing.
This week, the federal government is releasing a long awaited issues paper that will outline how it
plans to make EVs cheaper so more people buy them. That's part of the Labour government's pledge to lower carbon emissions.
Anecdotally, most of the people buying relatively more expensive EVs right now are richer people who can afford to live in standalone homes.
In Australia, 2.2 million people live in apartments or sky rises. They are typically on lower incomes, and many of them are renters.
"EVs give people access to cheaper fuel. And it's something that apartment owners shouldn't not have access to just because they live in an apartment," Ellen says. "Basically, we see this as a social equity issue."
What is being done for EV owners in apartments? From October 2023, it will be mandatory that all new apartment blocks are built with the infrastructure to allow electric car charging.
This change to the national construction code was decided at a national meeting of state building ministers convened last month by the federal minister for industry and science.
Ed Husic's office said the issue of retrofitting existing apartments is a question for state and territory governments.
The minister's office also flagged a new federal trial where $871,000 will be spent on chargers on NSW street poles for residents without off street parking or car park charging.
As well as initiatives like this, more local councils and companies are installing public chargers, like Mauricio uses in his local neighbourhood.
State by state, an ad hoc approach is emerging as the apartment conundrum continues.
For instance, in the latest NSW state budget, $10 million was allocated for retrofitting apartments. This won't go far when you consider the Horizon's demands alone.
A NSW government spokesperson said this scheme is still in "design phase" and should go live in mid 2023
Aside from cost, advocates for people who live in apartments say that more can be done to push body corporates to approve EV installations.
In NSW, the percentage of people on a body corporate who can vote against a proposal with environmental benefits was just lowered. This will cover EV chargers in car parks.
"That's a really significant change," says Macquarie University professor of law, Cathy Sherry.
Professor Sherry specialises in the issues faced by apartment dwellers. She says there's precedents to the EV charging situation, including the solar and NBN rollout.
"It is entirely possible for state governments to mandate this for (existing buildings)," she says.
"The most important thing that governments can do is provide templates and guides. So that (people) are not flying blind." She agrees with Jet Charge's Ellen Liang that this is a "social equity" issue.
"With urban consolidation and the cost of housing in Australia, many people are not actively choosing to live in apartments or to live in collective living situations. "They simply have no choice. It's all that they can afford.
"Older Australians and generation X baby boomers can afford their own houses. They're living in freestanding houses.
"For younger people, very often the only form of affordable housing they can access either as as tenants or owners will be apartments.
"And if we want them to have access to electric vehicles and to make their contribution to reducing climate change, then this most definitely is an equity issue."
Picton foreshore road plan encourages foot traffic
A redevelopment of Picton's main foreshore route plans to focus on pedestrians and “de emphasise the roadway”.
The proposed Marlborough District Council upgrade of London Quay aims to find a solution to the pedestrian and traffic flow in and around cafés and businesses along the town's foreshore.
The council said the plan proposed to “de emphasise” the “dominance” of the roadway.
Marlborough District Council parks and open spaces manager Jane Tito said the council engaged a
landscape architect who consulted with businesses along London Quay including cafés, galleries, apartment owners and business groups to come up with a design.
The design is now open for public consultation, with an architect’s impressions on display at the Picton Library.
The proposed plans had a strong pedestrian focus using garden plots and removable bollards, raised aggregate concrete surfacing with “bold road markings” and “greening” to define shared spaces.
It was also designed to improve “visual and physical connections” to the waterfront to create a more accessible and inviting green space. Bollards could be added for the occasional street closure during public events.
Consultation is open until September 23. Once completed, a detailed plan would be put together, with a proposed construction start in mid 2023.
Anyone who would like to have a say on the proposed development could email: londonquay@marlborough.govt.nz
