Follow-up letter from MBKRA - 4 March 2023

Hi Kristy
Thank you for your response last year to the issue raised about the Kepa Road raised pedestrian crossing, and for committing to remedial work. We also understand that this work might be delayed due to recent storm events prioritising other work but look forward to its early completion as a matter of some urgency.

We would just like to confirm that our expectations for this work match. Since we last wrote, we have been inundated directly and on social media with complaints about the impact this bump is having on traffic flows. The Google Maps traffic layer clearly shows severe congestion (red and dark red) for some distance back to the east from the crossing during morning peaks, and yet this congestion mysteriously disappears immediately west of the crossing. It is therefore very clear that the crossing is significantly disrupting traffic flow on this important arterial route.

We have reviewed Auckland Transport's Raised Safety Platforms (Speed tables) – Practice Note 02 to better understand how AT designs speed tables and the rules that need to be followed.

With respect to traffic flows, I note the following from the last paragraph of 3.1:
"Raised safety platforms can affect flow of traffic, safety and comfort of some users and response times for emergency services. Their use must be reviewed by AT Subject Matter Experts when they are proposed on bus routes, freight routes or FENZ critical routes. Alternative safety treatments may be necessary in some of these cases."

I further note from 3.2:
"On arterial roads, ramp profiles are typically more comfortable than those used for local area wide treatment on residential streets, reflecting the buses, trucks, and emergency services that use these roads. ... These more comfortable ramp profiles are also less likely to create annoyance and community backlash ..."

​and from 3.3:
"All FENZ critical routes are to be treated as arterial roads for profile selection."
Table PN02-1 outlines appropriate speeds and geometry for different types of roads.
From all of the above, we conclude that the remediated ramp should be designed for an arterial road, with a 30km/h target speed, a 1:15 grade (3.8°) and a platform height of 75mm. Such a configuration should help alleviate the current congestion. Could you please confirm that the remedial work to be undertaken will conform to these AT rules.
If that is not the intention (and we note that the speed markings are currently 25 km/h, in violation of AT's own rules), then could you please send us a copy of the "Departure from Standard application" required in such circumstances to help us understand why not.

Regards
Don Stock
Chair
Mission Bay Kohimarama Residents Association

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