A petition has been launched to make the Point Chevalier Road safer. A stretch of the busy road has recently seen crashes and quite a few near misses.
According to Debra Miller, who started this petition to reduce the speed limit on Point Chevalier Road recently, “The speeding cars on Point Chevalier Road are making the neighbourhood unsafe for pedestrians, children on bikes, and the people who live along this busy road.
“The width of Point Chevalier Road encourages cars to speed when travelling to and from the beach and Coyle Park. A lower speed limit of 40 km/h north of Meola Road, pedestrian islands, and electronic signs to warn of the impending corner at Raymond Street will help to protect our community.”
The petition, which was launched about a week back, has so far got the support of around 250 people.
Explaining the reason for supporting the petition, Rachel Neal wrote, "I am terrified that someone is going to get seriously injured. We urgently need this to be sorted before it’s too late. The speed limit needs to be lowered, we need signs and we especially need speed humps to stop those who like to break the law and use Pt Chev road as a race track.”
Another signatory, Oz Ben-Ezra, wrote, “Too many drivers thinks Pt Chev Road is a highway, something needs to be done with the speed environment.”
“People use that stretch of road like a race track. We have a lot of young families and need to have something to slow some people down,” feels another supporter Rosalyn Beuth.
When Indian Weekender spoke to Auckland Transport (AT) about the issue, AT's spokesperson, Natalie Polley, said, “AT’s latest safe speeds programme proposal, which went live for public consultation on Monday (https://haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/speed-limit-changes-around-auckland-phase-three/maps/map-your-feedback), we are proposing speed limit changes for Pt Chev – including at the end of Pt Chev Road.”
It is proposed to reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h on the stretch of road from Meola Rd to Coyle Park.
Explaining further, Polley said, “These changes would make it safer for everyone in the area. We have seen promising results from our first lot of speed limit changes that we made in other areas of Auckland in 2020.
“AT has found that roads where speed limits were lowered on 30 June 2020 have experienced a 47 percent reduction in deaths in the 18-months following the changes, a reduction in all injury crashes of more than 25 per cent and greater than a 15 per cent reduction in serious injuries on these roads.”
However, the 30km/hour speed limit proposal has not gone too well with people in the community.
Reacting to AT’s proposal, Jordon Stokes of Facebook group Point Chevalier Community says, “What a terrible idea, just put speed bumps in. Lower than 50 speed limits are a revenue collecting exercise.”
Sharing the same sentiment, James Bryenton says, “This proposal of AT transport is ridiculous. It is stupid as it would create congestion and traffic jams. There is a need to concentrate on illegal parking that happens at bus stops. They don't think, and that’s the problem with Auckland Council. They do things without thinking.”
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