Groundswell for much-needed Penlink road builds on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula

Imagine traffic on the only route to and from town being so bad due to an accident that you have to drive on the footpath and wrong side of the road to get your injured child to hospital.

That was a very real scenario for Manly resident Jill Good, who believes the Penlink road is needed to ease congestion and provide an alternative route to and from the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. “In the end I had to drive on the wrong side of the road until I could get her to the A and E. It wasn’t very pleasant,” she says.

And Mrs Good is not alone – more than 92 per cent of those who answered the Fairway Bay-sponsored Penlink Questionnaire agree the road needs to be built soon.

The survey was sponsored by Fairway Bay, a new residential subdivision at Gulf Harbour. CEO Sean Pan says that connectivity to the city is a key factor in many home buyers’ decision making process. “Penlink will make a huge difference to all residents on the Peninsula – not just those who wish to live at Gulf Harbour”

In the evening, queues stretch as far down as the motorway. Auckland Transport says having traffic queuing on the motorway is dangerous as it increases the likelihood of a crash.

Mrs Good not the only one calling for Penlink to be built sooner rather than later.

Of the 1045 people who have filled out Fairway Bay’s Penlink Questionnaire so far, 92.23 per cent believe Penlink is needed.

Almost 90 per cent of the 381 people who answered the PPP section of the survey supported Penlink being built under that model.

Hibiscus and Bays local board member Janet Fitzgerald, who has been campaigning for Penlink for 20 years, says the survey is proof that the road needs to be built.

“We have only one access on and off the Peninsula. As the Auckland Council allows more and more homes to be built there, Whangaparaoa Road is getting busier and busier.”

Not only were accidents a concern but roadworks along that arterial route have also been known to cause delays of up to an hour and a half, she says.

If you are concerned about traffic congestion on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, please fill out the Penlink Questionnaire at www.fairwaybay.co.nz/penlink

FAIRWAY BAY’S PENLINK QUESTIONNAIRE: BY THE NUMBERS
• Ninety per cent felt Penlink would help alleviate congestion problems on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula during peak-hour traffic better than widening the existing arterial route.
• A little more than 54 per felt the current traffic situation in the region was not acceptable.
• Nearly 48 per cent travelled to Albany or further south on a daily basis, while 22.83 per cent travelled several times a week and 21.09 per cent once a week.
• More than 95 per cent of respondents did so by car.
• Close to 39 per cent would be happy to pay up to $2 to use Penlink and more than 22 per cent $1 if the road was tolled.

ENDS

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