Herd Road, Hillsborough - Broken Yellow Lines
Consultation Outcome
After reviewing the feedback we received, we are proceeding with no changes on our proposal to replace the existing no stopping restriction to paint broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) from outside 3 to 15 Herd Road in Hillsborough.
What happens next
We anticipate these changes will be installed by February 2025.
We'll be in touch with local residents before any changes take place.
Community Feedback
Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge.
Below is a summary of your feedback and our responses.
Parking
- Concern about the loss of parking and the proposed changes would impact parking availability significantly outside of peak hours, especially on weekends.
- Residents from Hillsborough Road are already using Herd Road, causing drivers to park on grass berms, particularly near the lights on the south side of the road.
We understand that on-street parking spaces are valuable for residents and visitors. However, we need to balance safety and parking availability, and we have minimised parking removal as much as possible.
- Request that residents can park on the street when it’s not busy, but not during peak hours.
During our investigation, we found that cars parked on the street between number 5 and 11 Herd Road are masked by a slight uphill slope outside 13 Herd Road. This creates limited visibility for drivers. To address this safety concern, we do need to remove parking spaces.
Extension of Broken Yellow Lines
- Suggestion for adding broken yellow lines on both sides of Herd Road, this would provide better visibility of the intersection.
- Suggestion for extending the broken yellow line to the last property on the south side of Herd Road (opposite Monte Cecelia Park).
- Request to extend broken yellow lines to Aramutu road.
Thank you for your suggestion; we have visited and checked the area to see if we could paint broken yellow lines.
Several factors are carefully considered when assessing parking restrictions like how wide the road is, the shape of the land, how much traffic there is, if people living there have their own parking, if there’s parking nearby if it’s hard to see around, other safety issues, and past accidents.
Our primary goal is to ensure safety on the roads. We only implement parking restrictions in areas where they are truly necessary for safety reasons or due to narrow road conditions.
After considering all factors, we regret to advise you that we cannot proceed with your request.
No stopping Restriction timeframe
- Suggestion for adding no stopping restriction from 7am-9am instead of broken yellow lines. New houses built in the area have less parking space, so homeowners nearby need street parking spaces.
- Suggestion for adding no stopping restriction in the morning and afternoon / evening on weekdays instead of broken yellow lines.
Our investigation showed:
1) The compliance rate of drivers obeying clearway restrictions can be low (at all hours of the day)
2) The westbound traffic travelling on Herd Road has limited visibility of parked cars outside numbers 3 to 9 Herd Road due to the topography (slight crest at number 11). This can contribute to a high risk of rear-end or side-swipe crashes.
3) Broken yellow lines can ensure we fix queuing issues at the intersection.
For these reasons, we are proceeding with our proposal of broken yellow lines.
Separate Lanes
- Suggestion for two lanes at the top of the westbound hill. The grass verges should be converted to cobblestone parking like on Campbell Rd, One Tree Hill, to prevent damage from parked cars. Police enforcement is needed for traffic violations during congestion. I’ve witnessed many near accidents involving buses and other vehicles. Contact me for more details.
Thank you for your suggestion. Unfortunately, we can’t accommodate this request as it is outside the scope of this project however, we will be passing your suggestion to the correct team to investigate.
- Suggest making the left lane for left turns only and the right lane for straight and right turns.
- Request to make the left lane for turning left only and the centre lane for turning right or going straight to balance traffic.
We looked into changing the lanes from left-straight and right-only to left-only and straight-right, but the intersection’s shape doesn’t allow for the necessary shift to create a straight-right lane.
Misc
- Concern that the proposed changes wouldn't stop the lane changes. Vehicles use the right turn lane to go straight, causing dangerous lane changes and risking head-on collisions.
We will continue to monitor the intersection and liaise with police to increase enforcement in the area.
- Request for more right turn only arrows painted on the road, maybe up to the top of the hill.
Thank you for the suggestion, we will look to include more road markings where possible.
About the project
We've received requests from the community to improve the safety of vehicles waiting at the intersection of Herd Road and Hillsborough Road.
During the morning peak travel times, cars parked on Herd Road significantly reduce the lane width for traffic waiting to turn left onto Hillsborough Road. This results in drivers waiting in the right turn lane before shifting into the correct left lane and completing the turn, causing a disruption in the traffic flow.
Switching lanes is less of a problem during the afternoon peak as vehicles are not permitted to park on the left (downhill) side of the road, leaving more room for left-turning traffic to wait.
Due to Herd Road's steep uphill slope, driver visibility of the approaching queues waiting at the intersection is limited. Our proposal will address this safety concern as well.
What’s currently in place:
- No stopping parking restriction from outside #3 to #15 Herd Road applies between 4pm-6pm, from Monday to Friday.
What we are proposing
Herd Road - Proposal Picture
Improving vehicle queuing at the intersection on your street
- Replacing the existing no stopping restriction to painted broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times).
- Extending the length of broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) from outside #3 to #15 Herd Road.
- The proposed changes would remove 11 on-street parking to improve access.
Vehicles parked illegally on the new broken yellow lines may receive infringement notices or be towed away.
Benefits and impacts
- Aim to reduce congestion at peak travel times for all vehicles in the left turning and right turning lanes at the intersection.
- Improves visibility for all drivers including services like waste removal and emergency services travelling west- bound of the hill approaching Hillsborough Road.
What we want your feedback on
We are seeking feedback from nearby residents on the proposed changes and the extent of broken yellow lines.
How you can have your say
Have your say by completing the online feedback form. The form will be open from 9 July 2024 to 23 July 2024.
