Wairau Road at View Road and Kathleen Street, Glenfield - Intersection Upgrade

What was the consultation about?

Everyone across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland should be able to get to where they need to safely. This includes people in cars, bikes, on foot, scooters, wheelchairs, and other mobility devices. 

Between 29 April and 19 May 2024, Auckland Transport (AT) proposed safety upgrades to the Wairau Road, View Road and Kathleen Street intersection in Glenfield. 

The upgrades aim to make it safer for people who drive, walk or bike to cross at or travel through the intersection. Other goals of the upgrades are to enable buses with stops near the intersection to pick up and drop off passengers more efficiently, creating more reliable service, and to prepare the area for future travel demand as AT develops the wider transport network.

Our proposed upgrades to the intersection included:

• Installing traffic lights at all approaches to the intersection
• Installing signalised crossings for people who walk and cycle
• Slightly moving and making minor improvements to the nearby bus stops and shelters
• Installing cycle boxes (marked spaces for cyclists to wait at the front of the line of traffic), allowing them to be more visible to vehicles and giving them a safer place to turn from Wairau Road to adjacent streets
• Installing cycle ramps to give cyclists another way to cross through the intersection, separate from vehicle traffic
• Adding a new central island on the western approach to the intersection to give those leaving the properties closest to the intersection a safer environment to turn
• Installing yellow tactile pavers at crossing points to help visually impaired people find their way to the crossings
• Painting new road markings and signage to support the changes
• Footpath and roadway upgrades to prepare for future growth of the wider transport network
• Changing the existing straight-lined parking spaces at the 1 View Road dairy into angled parking spaces to allow visitors to drive out and back onto View Road safely and more efficiently.

Download the original proposal scheme

In proposing these upgrades to the community, we aimed to achieve the following benefits:

• Allow safer movement of traffic through the intersection and on adjacent streets
• Make it safer for people to cross all sides of the intersection
• Allow buses with stops near the intersection to pick up and drop off passengers more efficiently, creating more reliable service
• Make walking in the area safer and more accessible for people of all abilities
• Give cyclists a safer, alternate option of continuing their travel along Wairau Road separate from motor vehicle traffic
• Prepare the intersection for the increased travel demand expected to come with the rapid growth happening in the area and as we develop the wider transport network

Summary of consultation feedback

We received 61 formal submissions – 60 from our online survey and one emailed submission – during the consultation period. In the survey, we asked respondents if they believed the proposed upgrades would improve safety at the intersection and, depending on their response, why or why not. We also gave them the opportunity to give feedback about specific aspects of the proposed upgrades.

Overall feedback from respondents about the proposed intersection upgrades was mostly positive. More than four-fifths of the respondents (82%, 50 people) believed the proposed upgrades would be beneficial in making the intersection safer for people who drive, walk and cycle. Only 11 respondents (10 survey respondents, one respondent by email) did not believe they would make the intersection safer (18%). 

A full summary of the consultation feedback we received is available on our public feedback report. 

Download the public feedback report

What happens next?

Based on the feedback received, we will be proceeding with the proposed design with one major change. The proposed change to angular parking in front of the businesses on View Road will not go ahead, and instead the existing perpendicular parking will stay as it is to ensure there is no loss in parking in this area. 

With this change to our proposal, AT will work to finalise the design and deliver the improvements in mid-2025.

Our first consultation in 2020

In November 2020, Auckland Transport consulted the community on proposed changes to improve safety around the Wairau Road, View Road, and Kathleen Street intersection. The original proposed changes included:

• Upgrading the existing bus stops on Wairau Road
• Installing traffic lights and signalised crossings on all four legs of the intersection
• Building new footpaths at the crossings
• Installing yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road
• Painting no stopping at all times lines along Wairau Road

What the community said

AT received 16 submissions from the community during our 2020 consultation. Most of the feedback received was positive, described as a "welcome change for the neighbourhood," and said the proposal would make the area safer. Below is a summary of what the participants told us and our responses to community concerns:

Congestion

• Concerns were raised regarding traffic backing up on Wairau Road, congestion outside Southern Cross Hospital from Wairau to Glenfield Road from 3.30 to 6.30pm, and changes being inconvenient for traffic during off-peak hours (e.g., delaying traffic at night).

We agreed to ensure the signalling and timing of the traffic lights would consider traffic activity during the peak/off-peak traffic periods to minimise queuing and delays on Wairau Road.

• Concerns were raised regarding drivers taking alternative routes to avoid Wairau Road, including Hillside Road, Diana Drive, and Target Road.

We agreed to monitor changes in the traffic activity on neighbouring roads and take appropriate action should the need arise.

• There was a concern that entering and exiting the shops on View Road parking may become even more difficult due to congestion at the traffic lights on View Road.

We recognised queues would be expected at signalised intersections during the red light. However, vehicles will regularly clear during the green light phase on View Road, providing gaps for drivers entering and exiting shop parking. The signal phasing times will vary depending on the time of day to consider the varying traffic activity in the peak/inter-peak/off-peak times.

• There was a concern that the new location of the bus stop would increase congestion as the bus would no longer stop in the existing pull-in bay.

Indented bus bays are no longer standard practice as bus drivers may suffer from poor sight lines of oncoming vehicles. This compromises safety when bus drivers try to re-enter the traffic flow, increasing journey times. Traffic will be held up for a short period while passengers board/alight.

Parking

• A concern was raised that car owners will be tempted to park on the grass on both sides of Wairau Road since it will now be painted with broken yellow lines, but ideally, this should not be an issue since Kathleen Street is not a busy road.

We investigated this further, and the residential dwellings in the area appear to have off-street parking. However, we have pledged to monitor the situation and take further action for enforcement should this be the case.

• A concern was raised that parking space loss will mean local businesses will lose customers. Request for more parking for businesses.

The proposed project location and the affected catchment are mostly residential. The main businesses at the end of View Road will lose two parking spaces.

• A concern was raised about cars parked along the bend of Wairau Road after the Kathleen/View Road intersection, making it difficult for residents to exit driveways. Additionally, a large tree at the side of the road and traffic merging into one lane also blocks visibility. Request further broken yellow lines around the bend (around #325) to improve safety when pulling out into traffic from these properties.

Parked vehicles on the side of the road help lower speeds in the area by giving drivers the impression of a narrower road, encouraging greater care when driving. Additionally, having too many ‘no stopping at all times’ lines will increase speeds in the area, increasing the risk of severe injury if a crash occurs. It is illegal for any vehicles to be parked within 1m of a driveway, which may cause difficulties for drivers when entering and exiting. Should this be the case, please report illegally parked cars to AT Enforcement by calling 09 355 3553.

Additional requests

• A request was made for traffic lights at Albany Highway/Unsworth Drive, as it is challenging to get to Albany Primary School.

We explored this option. However, the intersection at Albany Highway/Unsworth Drive does not accommodate pedestrians. Therefore, this type of intervention is not suitable for this location.

• We received requests to widen the road to two lanes up to past Hogans Road, as the main issue is that for a section of road (from Tristram Ave to Glenfield Road), the lane goes from 2 lanes to 1 lane, back to 2 lanes, back to 1 lane and back to 2 lanes again.

Unfortunately, there is not enough width along this section of road, which would make a worthwhile difference to the congestion issue that mainly occurs during the afternoon peak traffic period. Therefore, it is not a priority for congestion management. There have been no reported crashes in the last five years at this location related to the lack of visibility due to the tree or when pulling out of the driveway. We would not be able to justify further ‘no stopping at all times’ lines at this stage.

• A suggestion was made for traffic lights at Ellice and Wairau Road intersection.

AT has proposed and consulted on a project to upgrade the intersection of Ellice Road and Wairau Road. Unfortunately, the project has been put on hold due to funding challenges until further notice. More information is available at: at.govt.nz/about-us/have-your-say/north-auckland-consultations/ellice-road-and-wairau-road-glenfield-intersection-improvement/

We also received some feedback that was out of this project's scope.

• A request for no stopping in the small left-hand turn lane into Hogans Road.
• A request for broken yellow lines from Kathleen Street to Hogans Road heading west due to multiple cars parking in the slipway and preventing it from functioning as intended. This would also allow more traffic to flow through before the road tapers to one lane later.
• A suggestion for broken yellow lines to be extended from the corner of View Road all the way up to Hogans Road, as this would encourage cars driving up to Glenfield to stay on the right lane and allow cars to drive on the left lane that will turn left at Hogans Road.
• A concern that more people are crossing the section a few hundred metres up Wairau Road opposite Ellice Road, as there are bus stops on both sides of the road. This location is nearly right on the intersection, and the bend in the road makes visibility of traffic difficult. Suggestion for a signalised pedestrian crossing further down Wairau Road (around #238) that would be in use as required by pedestrians.

We want to thank everyone who participated in the 2020 consultation for their feedback.