Auckland Transport proposed changes

Michael from St Heliers

MICHAEL COLOSIMO
Shop No. 8
429 Tamaki Drive
St Heliers Bay
Auckland 1071
Telephone: 0275 838 575
Email: santo.colosimo63@gmail.com
April 30th 2019
To:
The Mayor of Auckland City: Mr Philip Bruce Goff, CNZM
and The Chairman Auckland Transport: Dr Lester Levy
and The Chief Executive of Auckland Transport: Mr Shane Ellison
Re: St Heliers Village – Council’s Responsibility Re Auckland Transport
I believe that it is the Auckland Council’s Responsibility to Govern Auckland Transport as the Council Owns Auckland Transport.
At a meeting held in St Heliers Bay at 7.00pm on April 15th this year the NZ Herald reported over 600 people attended. They showed up to show their disagreement to the Proposed Changes to Traffic and Parking in St Heliers.
I am pleased to see Mr Goff’s comments the day after the Meeting (April 16th in the NZ Herald) drawing attention to the full responsibilities of Auckland Transport.
Here is what we are talking about!
St Heliers Village
Pretty Special, Very Special.......Here is the first paragraph from the St Heliers Bay Website:
About us
St Heliers Bay is one of Auckland’s most beautiful and desirable suburbs. It has a unique character, flowing from the local residents who treasure the village-like atmosphere, and where friendly, personalised service can be enjoyed while shopping or dining at any of the marvellous restaurants or boutique stores.
With plenty of free on street parking, and close proximity to the white sand beach, St Heliers offers a perfect day out. This is the Inspiration which The People Believe in.
The following comments surely are appropriate.
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‘A Total Arrogance’ and very rude is an appropriate description of Auckland Transport’s failure to have not even one person turn up to Answer Questions from the Local Community and Business Owners.
It is a disgrace that the Council can operate under these practices. The Rate Payers of this City need to be heard. The Mayor, The Chairman and Chief Executive of Auckland Transport need to Front Up. – The Changes that Auckland Transport want to implement from Mid 2019 are possibly the most Ludicrous Proposal ever thought up.
There is not a proven problem in St Heliers. The expensive proposals are not warranted and will destabilize local business services to the People who visit.
Auckland Transport’s Own Statistics show this to be the case, but “NO” once again the Council (Transport) will waste 1.3 million Dollars (that is the estimate so far) so let’s say 2 Million Dollars Eventual Cost for the Ratepayers. It is a Disgrace that Auckland Council and Auckland Transport can once again Ruin a Suburban Village. Look at what Auckland Transport has done to Birkenhead, Mt Eden, Mt Albert, Quay Street in the city, and the List Goes On.
Unfortunately, A Lot of People Complain about these excesses, But it falls on deaf ears and The Council and Auckland Transport still go ahead with these Ludicrous Ideas.
The plans and activities Ruin Neighbourhoods. They Ruin Businesses. They Ruin Lives and Ruin Livelihoods. They send People Bankrupt because Health Issues cause Safety Problems and Totally Destroy a Viable and Happy Community.
I can understand that if there was a traffic issue and people were dying, then Yeah! Let’s look at it. - BUT there IS NOT as the statistics from Auckland Transport prove.
Example of Delay of Ten Years following Death near High School
Let Me Give You an example of Auckland Transport and the Council; Very tragically! A Student was killed on Crossfield Road or West Tamaki Road due to the road layout and YES cars going too fast. YES too FAST; Now Me Not being a Person with so many letters after my name (like all the Board of Auckland Transport who have wonderful CVs of themselves on the Web Page), would have thought that the First Place for a Raised Pedestrian Crossing and Speed Restrictions would have happened on West Tamaki Road and Crossfield Road as there is a major school with over 2,000 students and there are genuine safety concerns. There is also Glendowie College a stone’s throw away with another approximately 2,000 students; But No, it took over ten years, YES 10 Years for Raised Crossings a new crossing to happen to ensure the Area is Safer. Sources tell me that other schools are still battling the Council and Auckland Transport for the same things they want and need; Safer Roads.
Another Issue – Dangerous – St Heliers; Auckland Transport already took out carparks to replace with a Bus Parking Stop, Not Passenger Stop. Now Auckland Transport have already employed Consultants to help them. St Heliers needs to be safer BUT the Consultants forget to tell AT that there is a Bus Park Area outside 429 Tamaki Drive. This is an Accident Waiting to Happen: Photos included. - As you can see buses, Everyday
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Park over the Driveway, and the back end of the Bus sits just off the corner which causes traffic chaos as cars have to go onto the other side of the road to get past the buses. Traffic is stopped in the middle of the road. It is a Dangerous Situation which I might add is next to a children’s playground. Very Dangerous, a Very Stupid place for Auckland Transport to park up buses.
Leadership
Mr Goff, I do realize that your job is incredibly difficult You have a very hard job to please all the City’s People and Businesses (including tourists etc.); But Mr Goff you are the Leader, you chose to take on the job. You have to stand up now and Listen to these People.
Proposed Meeting
Enough is Enough. I will organize a meeting where yourself, The Mayor of Auckland, The Chair of Auckland Transport, Dr Lester (as Dr Levy states in a letter dated 17 April 2019: that if he is invited to a meeting, he is willing to attend to discuss in more detail, the Proposal for St Heliers.) and Shane Ellison from Auckland Transport attend a Meeting.
I will also be inviting the representatives from the Orakei Local Board, Desley Simpson, the Councilor for the Orakei Ward, the St Heliers/Glendowie Residents Association representatives, St Heliers Bay Business Association representatives, Mission Bay Business Association representatives, the Mission Bay Kohimarama Residents Association and obviously all local business owners, landlords and all local residents.
I propose that I organize a venue and I am thinking of the Sacred Heart College Auditorium as (everyone attending can be seated as the venue holds a large seating capacity which will allow for a successful meeting), or we can discuss with myself and the Mayor an alternative Local Venue. I propose that a meeting be put in place in say three to four weeks from your confirmation that you will attend a meeting. This gives me time to organize all the various invitees and the public. I note Mr Ellison pulled Auckland Transport out of the last meeting on15th April 2019, as he was concerned for the safety and security of his staff. This will not be an issue. There will be no concern for people’s safety The Meeting will be conducted in an orderly, respectful and orderly manner. As I am the author of this letter and obviously want to organize a meeting, I do not propose for myself to chair the meeting. I will personally retain a professional Chairman. An agenda will be prepared for the meeting.
Special Concern
St Heliers should not be viewed and managed under a Blanket ‘whole of Auckland’ management, St Heliers is not Broadway Newmarket or a major road. St Heliers should be looked at in its specific circumstances and needs. On inspection, management will find that there is room for more parking; Bus Park Up Bays can be positioned to provide bus parking in appropriate places while not jeopardizing pedestrians and customer parking. See details on maps attached.
Facts on Unanimous Resolution
Dr Levy, we do agree you had a meeting on 4th September2018. Where you state the Planning Committee of Auckland Council (membership includes all Councilors, met and Unanimously passed a resolution requiring Auckland Transport to accelerate the Road Safety and Speed Management programmes and seek input from partners to make Auckland a Vision Zero Region. You add this is a matter of record). In fact, Dr Levy after discussing this meeting with a Councilor the Councilor quotes, the report was high level, it didn’t give specifics re locations and the Speed management was to
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cement Rules for 40 kms speed around schools. (to me, the meeting did not unanimously promote the proposal now being put forward for St Heliers.)
Reference the 2017 Eric Howard Review of Road Safety in Auckland. It is of Great Concern that an overall Report for Auckland has been dropped over St Heliers without recognizing that St Heliers may be and in fact is a Unique Situation. It is worrying that AT has not put effort in to assessing the micro details of this particular location – St Heliers. For example, if AT had done all their homework, gathered all the information correctly they would have had all the facts and figures before AT put the proposal for changes for St Heliers. In fact this obviously was not the case because after they launched the proposal to the public, AT have had a severe backlash from the local community and then AT have decided to employ more consultants and spotters (cameras on poles) to gather information of how many people on bikes, people walking dogs, the general movements of the village. Surely one would have expected all this would have been done Before issuing the Proposed Changes for St Heliers.
The Large Overview of the Eric Howard Report views the whole city. This is an important ‘different part of the city”.
Please Contact Me
Please contact me or reply to me that you can all attend a Meeting with the People of the Area.
Unique Situation
Mr Goff, I totally understand that you cannot attend every meeting when people are upset. But this is Thousands of People who are Upset as to these Proposed changes. It’s your Responsibility, So please front up as Leader
Yes, It’s Election year and this may severely impact election results. I sincerely hope you can help us all with this administrative approach which is so unpopular from Auckland Transport.
I await and look forward to your response.
Mr Goff, and Dr Levy and Mr Ellison, I also enclose Proposals of what I THINK Should Happen in St Heliers (with No Consultants’ Fees) ..... No More Money Spent, No wasting time. TO DISCUSS
Here are my Proposals, which can assist in St Heliers.
Crossings - Pictures Bus Park – Pictures Parking – Pictures
A.
It might be a good idea before Auckland Transport make Auckland the ‘The Safest City in the World’ but they should engage in dialog with the People in the Particular Areas they want to improve, instead of going out commissioning consulting firms which costs thousands of dollars, who aren’t even aware of the surroundings. It has to be better to engage with the local community;
first; talk with the people who live and breathe that particular area 24 hours a day, to get to know the Flow of the Area first hand. Not ‘Send in the Cavalry’ take a few notes.
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Better, in my opinion to gather information First from the people in the area, and once you have a true picture of the area and surroundings that you plan to make safer, then AT should decide whether they employ consultants to develop a plan.
I am putting here a proposal to Auckland Transport which didn’t cost a cent to ratepayers, which is logical and user friendly to the whole community and is so Simple to implement.
B.
My Proposals are my ideas which still accommodate Bus Park Up areas, Pedestrian Crossings, More Carparks to enable the area to provide best facilities for the Locals and Businesses.
Wouldn’t it be a great result if Auckland Transport and The Council took on board some of my comments in this proposal. Maybe it could be a start for great things to come for Auckland Transport. It would be a Win Win situation, lets hope some sense prevails.
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It is a fact, Latest Figures from Wikipedia – Vehicles Per Capita New Zealand.
So here we have facts that New Zealand is the third highest car ownership in the world. This does prove we need more carparking facilities not less.
C Another Suggestion – Pedestrian Crossings
Auckland Transport seem to be on a safety mission all over Auckland.
Something they may like to look at Pedestrians Crossings is that every car driver is aware that people just walk straight out into the path of oncoming cars. Even mothers with prams push the pram straight onto the road into oncoming traffic. How Dangerous is This?
Relevant Information:
1
San Marino
1,263
2013[5]
4
United States
833
268,799,080 [7]
2016
2
Monaco
899
2013[5]
5
Iceland
795
261,747[8]
2015
3
New Zealand
839
4,100,000
2017[6]
6
Liechtenstein
773
2016[9]
7
Australia
747
19,200,000[10]
2018
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How about Auckland Transport put up SIGNS on both sides of Pedestrian Crossings, saying;
THIS IS A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
PLEASE DO NOT JUST WALK STRAIGHT onto the ROAD
Pedestrians Look Left and then Right to make sure it is safe to Cross the Road
CARS WILL STOP FOR YOU
Thank you and regards Michael Colosimo