Statement to the KCDC Road Safety Advisory Group Meeting of 7 April 2021
The Chair and membership of the Older Persons Council (OPC) endorse the need for immediate engineering investment in Elizabeth Street and Winara Avenue in Waikanae to provide age-friendly accessibility to pedestrians of all ages – pedestrian safety being one of the top road safety issues in Kapiti identified by the Council.
Pedestrian Safety:
Significant risks are posed to pedestrians by vehicles suddenly appearing in less time than it takes to cross the road:
* People with walkers or being pushed in a wheelchair having to negotiate uneven footpath, kerb, channel, unfavourable asphalt camber in addition to getting across the road.
* People with limited peripheral vision or awareness who simply need time to see something moving towards them.
* People who simply are no longer able to walk quickly when needed.
* Children as impetuous road users.
Traffic suddenly appearing in Elizabeth Street heading towards the railway ‐- traffic joined by vehicles from Winara Ave, Anne and Seddon Streets — is a concern for many in the community. School, train commuter and construction traffic booting it in Winara Avenue and Seddon Street is also a raised concern.
Multiple hazards heighten the risk:
* Speed of vehicles.
* Size of vehicles e.g, logging truck‐trailers dominating perception of oncoming traffic.
* The bend in Elizabeth Street and the intersections from Winara Avenue or Seddon Street –
short distance / fast moving traffic = little time for perception.
* Change of grade e.g., Seddon-‐Utauta (with a bend) and Seddon-‐Hira with construction traffic booting it over the hump.
* Uneven footpath, kerb, channel, unfavourable asphalt camber.
One hazard often dominates perception to the extent that other hazards are not seen when there is urgency to cross the road.
Both the Kapiti Coast Museum and Relish Café are ‘destinations’ providing social infrastructure for both visitors and locals. Pedestrians frequently cross from one to the other.
Pedestrians frequently cross Winara Avenue and Seddon Street, walking to the railway station and town centre using the railway station north rail crossing.
The pedestrian risks identified would be substantially reduced by:
* A pedestrian crossing (preferably light controlled) in the vicinity of Relish Café and the Kapiti Coast Museum.
* Provision of two‐hour disability parks outside Relish Café.
* Pedestrian refuges in Winara Ave and Seddon St.
No! This is not the answer. To add a pedestrian crossing down by Relish café, particularly lights controlled, is too close to the train crossing. You can be held up for long periods at that rail crossing as it is, but to add a secondary stopping point would just add to frustration. I agree a crossing would be advantageous, but the most appropriate siting of it would be Seddon Street. It would better capture the children and get more of them using it in my opinion. Pedestrian refuges could be added at Winara Ave and Relish as well. Parking is an issue at the rail crossing end of Elizabeth St at the moment and if putting a pedestrian crossing there affects parking in any way, it could have grave impacts on all businesses operating in that area. Tough times abound for businesses at present and I would not like to see more negative impacts on them because of a hastily thought out plan to address only one issue instead of taking a more widely encompassing view.
Good to see the OPC working together producing a well focussed submission. I regard myself as reasonably fit for my age, but even so, have to be on high alert crossing Elizabeth St between Pehi Kupa St and Seddon St. Also crossing Seddon St at the intersections with Utauta St (at Waikanae School) and Hira St.
Am trying to (benevolently) unpick what ‘Limbo’ is saying. First ‘Limbo’ says the submission is a hastily thought-out plan to address only one issue instead of taking a more widely encompassing view. It does not look that way to me. What we have at present is a status quo where drivers in vehicles move fast at the expense of ‘age friendly accessibility to pedestrians of all ages’ as the submission aptly puts it. The OPC is highlighting a major concern to them where the status quo is not balanced, and it is not their job to provide a fully developed integrated traffic solution.
According to ‘Limbo’, a lights-controlled crossing by Relish café would be too close to the train crossing, but a crossing would be advantageous, and the most appropriate siting of it would be Seddon St. The footpath on the south side of Elizabeth St ends at Seddon St so it seems ‘Limbo’ is saying no to a pedestrian crossing at Relish, but one 50 m east along Elizabeth St would be OK. Also seemingly, a pedestrian refuge at Relish would be OK.
What are ‘Limbo’s’ concerns making a light controlled crossing (or non-light controlled crossing) in the vicinity of Relish not OK, but OK near Seddon? The additional stopping point delay to the existing long stopping periods created by light phasing at Main Road and at the railway crossing adding to [vehicle driver] frustration is mentioned.
Additional delay for vehicle drivers is not an inevitable consequence. The stop time delay determined by the Main St lights and the rail crossing lights is more than what would be needed for pedestrians to cross Elizabeth St, hence if any light controlled crossing in Elizabeth St was co-ordinated with the Main St and railway lights there would be minimal if any additional delay. Co-ordinated light control makes the solution more complicated, but it is not technically difficult – it is already in service with the Main St lights being subordinate to the rail control. One might then say if there is so much stopped time, why don’t pedestrians cross through the stopped vehicles. The answer is they do, but it is significant random risk to pedestrians. Is space for someone with a walker to move through lanes of vehicles guaranteed? Can vehicle drivers be relied on to patiently wait until someone in front of them has crossed the road? Some drivers are very courteous but there are many who bloody well can’t be relied on. A pedestrian crossing would not eliminate the risk but it goes a long way to improving pedestrian safety. A light controlled crossing does give timely control in favour of pedestrians and other road users.
The last point ‘Limbo’ raises is that a pedestrian crossing would have ‘grave impacts on all businesses operating in that area’ i.e., space needed for a pedestrian crossing would make it tougher for businesses at the rail crossing end of Elizabeth St if even a single parking space is lost. Ability to park is seen to somehow supersede pedestrian safe road crossing. Does parking taken by train commuters not have anything to do with the issue? Looking at businesses and organisations in that location, St Luke’s church has its own carpark, 2 Elizabeth has the use of parking space towards the rail, Waikanae Chartered Club has its own carpark, 4 Elizabeth St has made its own business decision to restrict the off-street parking it once had. Relish does have an issue in that nearby parking for short term patrons is taken by long time parkers and this is largely what the submission appears to relate to – ‘age friendly accessibility to pedestrians of all ages’ – being able to park a car where parking space can be found (on the north side of Elizabeth St because there is unlikely to be any on the south side) and being able to cross Elizabeth St safely as the submission has well highlighted.
Detail of how the issue is solved is the duty of Council, with public consultation as part of the process. It is the duty of OPC to raise their concerns and they have done that well.
I have seen many kids just miss being hit daily