Cycleways, lights and 30kmh limit: Kāpiti road changes unwanted, survey shows
Traffic through Waikanae could slowed to 30kmh in the future.
Traffic lights, cycleways and a potential 30kmh speed limit are on the cards for Waikanae, but locals don't appear keen to get on board.
Work on reshaping the old State Highway 1 in the Kāpiti Coast town is expected to begin this year but a recent community survey showed that residents want the road left alone.
Kāpiti Coast District Council and the NZ Transport Agency said the plans follow extensive consultation and factor in safety and future use but the group behind the survey want the changes reviewed.
A cycleway will be created along Waikanae's Main Road, despite the businesses protests
"What's actually happened is 80 per cent of people have said they don't want any changes," Friends of the Waikanae Town Centre spokesman David Sherar said.
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The changes are part of the revocation process, which will see about 13.5km of SH1 on the Kāpiti Coast become a local road managed by the district council. That section of road has been rendered obsolete as a highway by the nearby Kāpiti expressway, which opened in early 2017.
The section of old State Highway 1 north of Waikanae, as it is now, but set for change as part of revocation work on the expressway.
In Waikanae, a new set of traffic lights at the corner of SH1 and Ngaio Rd, a shift from two lanes to one and a cycleway running along SH1 are among the revocation plans. A 30kmh speed limit has also been proposed.
Sherar said the results of the survey - which ran for 17 days both online and in print - showed the changes should be reviewed.
"The 1152 responses is a substantial number by national survey standards and the 952 from Waikanae residents is nearly 10 per cent of the total population. The results are clear and unequivocal: the changes planned by KCDC and NZTA are not wanted."
Council spokesman Sean Mallon said he understood the survey would be informally presented to council this week.
"We've also recommended that they present the results to the NZ Transport Agency, as they are the project lead for SH1 revocation.
"We understand that some of the concerns, like the speed limit through Waikanae, will be considered and consulted on as part of the overall speed limit review for all areas being revocated. This will be led by the transport agency this year. "
The proposed Waikanae layout was developed following extensive public consultation and looked at many factors, including safety, future traffic use and need to make it a fit-for-purpose local road, he said.
"The design for the road has taken all elements into consideration together, and unfortunately it's not as easy as changing one or two of the safety improvements without considering the knock on effects on the rest of the design.
"The proposed lights at the Ngaio Rd intersection will provide better amenity and improve safety for all road users"
NZ Transport Agency senior manager project delivery Chris Hunt said it had been hoped construction would already be underway but design, consultation and funding decisions had taken longer than expected.
" We are currently working on confirming the exact timing and staging of the [Mackays to Peka Peka] SH1 revocation construction programme. This will be confirmed shortly and it is our hope construction will start later this year."
- Stuff
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