We’ve reported on this issue a few times over the last couple of years, most recently with a piece from Gerald Rys of the Waikanae Beach Residents Society which proposed a low cost roundabout option. Both Jill Griggs and Geoffrey when they were Waikanae Community Board members liked this proposal. The others had different ideas.
The council preferred option (which was always going to happen) is nevertheless an improvement of sorts.
On the plan below the areas in dark green represent new works. In essence it means that westbound motorists turning from Te Moana Road into Rauparaha Street will have to yield to any eastbound motorists on Te Moana Road. Motorists heading east from Rauparaha Street onto Te Moana Road will likewise have to give way to those already on Te Moana Road and heading east.
From the council website:
The changes to Te Moana Road include:
- installing three pedestrian refuge islands on Te Moana Road between the Expressway and the old SH1, to make crossing this road safer for pedestrians
- a painted median along the centre of Te Moana Road to make right turns into side roads safer
- extension of the 2.5-metre shared path on the east of the golf club entrance, to the corner of Rauparaha Street
- a series of changes at the intersection of Te Moana Road and Rauparaha Street to make it safer and to improve visibility
- altering the bus layby on Rauparaha Street by locating this nearer to the traffic lane; this improves sightlines for bus drivers and makes it safer and easier for the bus to merge back into traffic.
Other work to be done in future (subject to securing funding) includes installing kerb, channel and sumps for the section of Te Moana Road immediately west of the Expressway.
What a shame….really these are the minimum pedestrian improvements, installing kerb and channel is such an old way of dealing with water, where are the environmental alternatives ….they should be standard rather than the old hard infrastructure.
Hope they have included Te Horo traffic in their stats that could be using this route when expressway opens to Otaki.