Work on Glenfield Rd upgrade set to begin in September May 14, 2004

Work should start on a $12m upgrade of Glenfield Rd in September. Having concluded its latest round of consultation on the project, the North Shore City Council is now going forward with obtaining the necessary planning approvals to construct the first phase of the corridor upgrade from Bentley Ave to Camrose Rd and the Sunset Rd intersection.

Chairperson of the council's works and environment committee, Councillor Joel Cayford, says Glenfield Rd is a major traffic route experiencing high volumes of vehicle traffic. "It is expected that the amount of traffic using this route will increase in the future. We are upgrading the road to improve safety and increase its capacity to move people and traffic, while improving its amenity for people who live nearby," he says.

The proposed road upgrading will occur between Bentley Ave and Sunset Rd to provide for four lanes of traffic throughout the route. On road cycle lanes will also be provided, and bus priority measures will be established at Bentley Ave, Hogans Rd, and Sunset Rd intersections.

Over 650 households and landowners received a brochure in the latest round of consultation on proposed additions to the upgrade, asking for their views on whether they supported parking restrictions, the concept of future high occupancy vehicle lanes (for cars with three or more occupants) along the route and raised planted central traffic medians at certain locations within the widened carriageway.

The council received 165 questionnaires back from residents with 79 per cent supporting the parking restrictions and 17 per cent opposing them. Over half of the residents who replied supported planted medians and 39 per cent opposed the idea. The report also shows over a third of respondents supporting the proposal of high occupancy vehicle lanes, and about half opposing. Opinions of respondents directly affected by the medians were fairly split, with 54 per cent supporting planted medians and 43 per cent opposed to them. The results were reported to the council's works and environment committee this week.

"We would like to thank all the residents for their feedback in this latest round of consultation. We'll be using the responses to further refine aspects of the project. It is good to see the strong support for the parking restrictions. The volume of traffic on Glenfield Rd, especially during peak periods, is now at a level where parked vehicles restrict the flow of traffic and affect safety for all road users.

"It is proposed that parking along Glenfield Rd between Bentley Ave and Sunset Rd will be restricted so that there is 24 hour no-stopping along this section," he says. "The council will also provide recessed parking bays where appropriate."

Councillor Cayford says the council is also now moving to investigate design options for the upgrade section from Camrose Rd to Sunset Rd. "We need to investigate layouts for the Manuka Rd, Wairau Rd and James St intersections," he says. "We will be staging this work and consulting with the community further on this part of the programme."

ENDS

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