Council Briefing Agenda Date: 14 October, 2021 Time: 10:30 am Location: Council Chamber Forum North, Rust Avenue Whangarei Elected Members: Her Worship the Mayor Sheryl Mai (Chairperson) Cr Gavin Benney Cr Vince Cocurullo Cr Nicholas Connop Cr Ken Couper Cr Tricia Cutforth Cr Shelley Deeming Cr Jayne Golightly Cr Phil Halse Cr Greg Innes Cr Greg Martin Cr Anna Murphy Cr Carol Peters Cr Simon Reid For any queries regarding this meeting please contact the Whangarei District Council on (09) 430-4200.
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Transcript
Council Briefing Agenda
Date: 14 October, 2021Time: 10:30 am
Location: Council ChamberForum North, Rust AvenueWhangarei
Elected Members: Her Worship the Mayor Sheryl Mai(Chairperson)Cr Gavin BenneyCr Vince CocurulloCr Nicholas ConnopCr Ken CouperCr Tricia CutforthCr Shelley DeemingCr Jayne GolightlyCr Phil HalseCr Greg InnesCr Greg MartinCr Anna MurphyCr Carol PetersCr Simon Reid
For any queries regarding this meeting please contactthe Whangarei District Council on (09) 430-4200.
Pages
1. Apologies
2. Reports
2.1. Raumanga Shared Path - Central Avenue Design 1
3. Closure of Meeting
2.1 Raumanga Shared Path – Avenues Alterations
Meeting: Council Briefing
Date of meeting: 14 October 2021
Reporting officer: Nick Marshall
1 Purpose
To inform elected members of;
- the proposed works on the Raumanga Shared Path, - the proposed Slow Streets work for the Avenues to be consulted on, and - the options for alterations to Central Avenue to be consulted on.
2 Background
2.1 Raumanga Shared Path – Avenues Section
The Raumanga Shared Path is one of the Core Urban Routes in the Walking and Cycling Strategy 2018.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have an agreement with Council to supply $6 million worth of funding towards the construction of shared paths in the district. The agreement comes with tight-timeframes for spending the money and a number of social objectives including the engagement of local contractors. Included in the funding is $5 million for the Raumanga Shared Path. Refer to Figure 1 below for a map of the path and the potions being funded.
The first stage of the Raumanga Shared Path to be designed and constructed is the section through the Avenues. The route this section takes is:
- Starts at Lovers Lane Bridge in Cafler Park (being upgraded as a separate project funded by Council),
- proceeds down Second Avenue to Central Avenue, - travels along Central Avenue to First Avenue, - crosses Central Avenue using a signalised crossing, - connects with the existing widened footpath down First Avenue, - which continues to the path through to Carruth Park and Maunu Road.
The second stage will take the path across Maunu Road, down Keays Road to the Raumanga Stream and along the stream bank to the existing path at Bernard Street.
The third and final stage of the works involves upgrading the existing section of path between Bernard Street and SH1 to improve safety and amenity.
This report is focused on the first stage through the Avenues.
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Figure 1: Stages of the Raumanga Shared Path funded by MBIE
2.2 Avenues Slow Streets
The Avenues area is one of the high priority areas for the Slow Streets work that have not already been completed. The construction works have been budgeted for in the 2021-2024 Long Term Plan.
The Slow Streets work is targeted at urban residential areas with the objective of providing safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists and vehicles by slowing down vehicles and providing safer intersections and crossing points for pedestrians.
The Slow Streets work in the Avenues targets Central Avenue, Kauika Road and the avenues that link these two roads.
Funding was available in the 2020-2021 financial year to do the design for the Avenues area. The design includes the installation of traffic islands and pram crossings at intersections, raised tables, asphalt speed humps and additional signage and markings.
2.3 Combined Projects
Due to the similarity in both location and nature, the two designs have been combined to provide a sensible, holistic solution for the Avenues area. Refer to Attached 4 for the combined concept design. Note that the drawing shows Option 3 for Central Avenue. Further information on the other options is detailed below.
3 Discussion
3.1 General
The following key elements and changes to Central Avenue are required to meet the objectives of both projects;
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1. Pram crossings and pedestrian refuge at Third Avenue to provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians moving between Third Avenue and the Raumanga Shared Path.
2. Median barriers / islands at Second Avenue to provide a safe crossing place for
pedestrians and cyclists moving between Second Avenue and the Raumanga Shared Path or on to Central Avenue to continue north. These barriers / islands will prevent the straight through movement and right-turns in and out of Second Avenue onto Central Avenue.
3. Due to item 2 above it is expected that the traffic from Western Hills which would
normally turn right at Second Avenue will most likely turn right into Third Avenue instead. To cater for such re-routed traffic and make this intersection safer, a new right turn bay will be created for vehicle turning into Third Avenue.
4. Installation of a signalized pedestrian crossing point east of First Avenue. This requires
the removal of the car parks on the northern side of Central Avenue east of the crossing to provide additional room for vehicles queuing at the Maunu Road / Central Avenue intersection. This addition room is required to, reduce the impact of the new crossing on the efficiency of the intersection and reduce the likelihood of vehicles queuing over the new crossing.
The first three of these elements require at least a small section of central median.
All elements were combined into a holistic design and three options were determined as to how the combination could work.
These options have been developed with the following requirements in mind:
Safety for road and path users, o Safe turning space for vehicles entering and leaving Central Avenue, o Safe crossing places for pedestrians and cyclists to encourage mode shift and
usage of the Raumanga Shared Path, o Space for cyclists to travel safely along Central Avenue on the carriageway.
Retention of car parks.
3.2 Options
Median full length of Central Avenue
Option One is to extend the median along most of the length of Central Avenue. Refer to attachment 2 for concept design drawings.
This solution provides consistent lane and median widths for most of the length of Central Avenue. This consistency in environment results in consistency in the behaviour of vehicles, less confusing for both motorists and vehicles, and the narrower lane widths generally results in slower speeds, increasing the safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
While this is the preferred solution from the perspective of safety and walking and cycling, to maintain a consistent lane width and median, all car parking will need to be removed from both sides of Central Avenue.
No changes to Central Avenue other than the pedestrian crossing
Option 2 excludes the installation of the right turn bay, pedestrian refuge and median barriers so the only change to be made to Central Avenue will be the installation of the signalised pedestrian crossing and associated car park removal between Maunu Road and First Avenue.
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The signalised crossing cannot be excluded as this is a required to complete the Raumanga Shared Path and there is a risk that the MBIE funding will be retracted if the path is not fully completed as per the funding agreement.
This option results in nearly all of the parking being retained but is a poor solution regarding safety and promoting transportation mode shift to walking and cycling. With only one crossing point over Central Avenue, this busy arterial road acts as a barrier for pedestrians and cyclists moving north / south through the Avenues.
Due to this option being a poor outcome for safety, cyclists and pedestrians, it is strongly recommended that this option is eliminated from further consideration.
Combination Option
A third option is a combination of both options that includes all four key elements listed above while maximising the number of car parks that can be retained. Refer to attachment 3 for concept design drawings.
Including all the key elements increases safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists by providing safe turning and crossing space. However it does not provide a consistent environment along the length of Central Avenue which could result in confusion for some drivers.
3.3 Further Considerations
There have been several crashes recorded involving the traffic in Central Avenue and the traffic moving into and out of the side streets. The creation of a right turn bay at Third Avenue and restricting movements at the Second Avenue intersection will decrease the likelihood of similar accidents occurring again. Removal of the parking close to these intersections will increase visibility for those making turning maneuvers and is likely to further reduce these accidents. It will also provide more space for cyclists using Central Avenue and make them more visible to motorists.
Central Avenue is an arterial road and a major traffic route in and out of Whangarei CBD. Its primary function is the movement of vehicles, not parking.
4 Next Steps
The next step will be to consult with effected residents and property owners regarding the proposed changes and available options for the whole Avenues area.
The letters will contain three distinct sections.
Raumanga Shared Path
This will be information only regarding the shared path route and indicative construction timeframes.
Central Avenue Alterations
This will contain information on the objectives and details on Option 1 and Option 3 described above. Respondents will be asked to select their preferred option.
Avenues Slow Streets
This will contain information on the objectives of the Slow Streets work and the design. Respondents will be asked if they support the planned works or have any objections.
The results of this consultation will be compiled and provided to the Infrastructure Committee for a final decision on which option to proceed with.
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5 Attachments
1. Whangarei Urban Network map from Walking and Cycling Strategy