The installation of a safer pedestrian facility on Remuera Rd to enable better access to the Library, shopping centre, and bus stops has been raised as a project for investigation with the relevant team within Auckland Transport.
The increasing volume of traffic, and increasingly larger vehicles (eg. double-decker Buses) on Remuera Road raises the priority for a pedestrian refuge on safety grounds alone.
We have received many requests for such a refuge located generally opposite the front doors of the Library. Traffic travelling east along Remuera Rd will be well sighted as there are presently no carparks at this point. Travelling west there can be no car parking before 10.00am because of the Clearway restrictions, so no visibility issues at that time. The loss of a minimum number of parking spaces has to be balanced with the need for pedestrian activation on Remuera Road for the benefit of retail trade and the general liveliness of the local town centre.
We are encouraged that our concerns about the impact of traffic changes on the the viability of the shopping centre have been noted. Losing carparks is but one factor – providing a refuge to facilitate safe passage across this section of Remuera Road we believe will help reverse the decline in foot traffic, exceeding that lost through less carparks.