Road plans for Auckland beach suburbs 'off the table' after community uproar

Friday, 17 May 2019

A video overview of AT's original plan which would have created 13 new pedestrian crossings and removed 40 car parking spaces in the St Heliers town centre (Video first published April 10, 2019).

A proposal to have 13 zebra crossings across a small stretch of road is now 'off the table' after it enraged a community of over 60s.

Auckland Transport (AT) suggested safety plans for Tamaki Drive in St Heliers, a seaside suburb in an affluent part of the city, in April.

The plans included the removal of 40 car parks – a lifeline for a suburb that relied on locals to use its service stores, residents said.

Ōrākei ward councillor Desley Simpson said all engineering solutions were now off the table while the community and Auckland Transport had conversations.

Ōrākei ward councillor Desley Simpson says the real win was for the residents as the suburbs' community groups could give their input at meetings.

* Auckland Transport's proposal for St Heliers and Mission Bay 'over the top'**

Working groups involving Simpson, members of the Ōrākei Local Board, members of business associations and residents' associations would be having regular meetings to discuss the plans.

Thirteen raised zebra crossings and the removal of 40 car parks was part of Auckland Transport's safety proposal.

Mission Bay had already had its first meeting group, which was 'a successful first step', Simpson said.

'The real win is for the both business association and residents' association – they are there at the meetings to give their local input.'

AT received more than 1500 submissions on the St Heliers proposal and more than 800 for Mission Bay.

Carmel Claridge, Ōrākei Local Board's transport lead, said working groups had been formed to 're-look at the proposal'.

'We've established a sound foundation with Auckland Transport and we're coming up with ideas that [are] in keeping with community aspirations,' Claridge said.

'We're really pleased Auckland Transport are prepared to re-examine the proposal and provide a better explanation of the data around their suggestions.'

Claridge, fellow local board member Colin Davis, Ōrākei ward councillor Desley Simpson, members of residents' associations and business associations were part of the working groups for both St Heliers and Mission Bay.

AT's senior media adviser Joanna Glasswell said it was having discussions with community groups about 'about how we might work together collaboratively to assess the need for safety engineering interventions and, if they are required, what form these interventions might take'.

When the proposal was first announced for St Heliers, acting chairman of the St Heliers and Glendowie residents' association Mike Walsh called it 'completely over the top'.

In April, Peter Jones, the chairman of the St Heliers Bay Business Association, told Stuff there had been a lack of discussion in putting the proposal together and it would impact local businesses.

A community meeting was organised and nearly 600 St Heliers residents hoped to speak with an AT employee about their concerns.

AT did not attend, causing outrage over the crowd who were aged '60 plus', Jones said.

'People needed to hear from Auckland Transport in depth and ask questions about the plan. Maybe if we had had more information prior to that, it wouldn't have got to that stage,' he said.

However, AT's chief executive Shane Ellison told the organisers in an email it would not have its people attend the meeting.

Ellison made comments about the crowd being 'hostile' and said that was not the actions expected of those who had a genuine desire for 'constructive dialogue'.

The controversy even reached Mayor Phil Goff, who said AT should have been at the meeting.

'I know [AT] is running a submission process, but they should have been there, because by not being there, they didn't want to hear the message,' Goff said.

'I don't expect officials to go along to be abused, but I do expect them to go along to be accountable.

'They are not a dictatorship, they are accountable to the people, as we are. They need to show they have listened to what the people are saying.'