The Issue So Far…
We are extremely concerned about the tragic fatal accident on Gowing Drive on 12 January 2019. We had previously identified this area of Gowing Drive as needing safety improvements and have been pushing hard to effect change, especially following the hit and run incident involving a cyclist a year ago in the same area. We acknowledge and very much appreciate the support on this issue that we have had from the Orakei Local Board (OLB) and Carmel Claridge in particular. Last year the OLB asked Auckland Transport to investigate safety and issues with speeding cars at the Parsons Rd/Archdall/Gowing Dr intersection which is not far from the latest accident. As a result of this, some initiatives have been proposed and we expect to see some action shortly – and will keep pushing for effective improvements. It is especially frustrating that earlier in 2018 Auckland Transport declined to make any improvements to the road as their statistics did not identify the area as being sufficiently unsafe.
Come to a Public Meeting
The Residents Association in conjunction with the OLB will be hosting a public meeting on Monday 25 February at 6:30pm at St Chads Church and Community Centre at 38 St Johns Rd to discuss safety improvements. We urge all interested residents to attend. Senior Auckland Transport representatives will be attending to hear residents’ concerns, provide information on the proposed improvements, and explain the rationale for allocation of resources for regional safety improvements.
Sign the Petition
We are also supporting a petition requesting as a matter of urgency that Auckland Transport investigate what measures can be taken to improve safety, particularly for pedestrians using the road. Click here to download a petition sheet, print it, sign it (get some friends to sign too!) and post to MBSJRA, PO Box 87285, Meadowbank, Auckland 1742.
Our Opinion on What is Needed
We’re aware of many concerns from our members and residents generally about safety and vehicle speeds on this stretch of road which has a history of serious injury crashes, some of which we have reported on. We’re not transport engineers and are therefore not in a position to prescribe specific technical solutions: but we note the effectiveness of the road narrowing and speed tables on Meadowbank Road (further along the 782 bus route). Getting those established took years of advocacy, and the strong support of the Orakei Local Board, for which we and no doubt local residents are grateful, because the improvement since they were installed has been dramatic. So in this case we might be so bold as to suggest we would expect something similar to be effective here. Whatever, it needs to be done quickly. And the same could be said for other local streets in our suburbs where we all know traffic speeds can be excessive. We don’t want to have to share any more tragic stories like this in our neighbourhood.
