- On 23 October 2024 Hamilton City Council voted to redesign the planned crossing on Heaphy Terrace.
- This single raised crossing had a cost of $689,000 according to the preferred option that Council staff proposed.
- The majority of councillors voted for a crossing re-design instead of approving the staff’s preferred option of a raised crossing.
- There was a deadline to complete the crossing’s construction before July 2025 so that the Council receives central government CERF funding
- Council is concerned about losing central government co-funding associated with the raised crossing (CERF scheme funds 90% of build projects for roading changes related to climate change policies).
- A motion was passed to reallocate the NZTA funding under the CERF scheme to bus stop upgrades and bike parking.
- The majority of Councillors voted (12-2) for the redesign to a level signalised pedestrian crossing located between the Mosque and Stanley Street. This majority also voted for reallocating funding.
- Councillors are all strongly supportive of an improved pedestrian crossing at this general location, though there are disagreements surrounding both the type of crossing and how close to the roundabout it should be installed.
- Some Council and staff have been promoting the raised crossing close to the roundabout and have been unfavourable towards other crossing options.
- Under questioning, Council staff had to admit that their report was “slightly incorrect” about earlier claims of protected trees near Stanley Street. There are actually no protected trees in that area. A few trees are listed as “Notable Trees” or “Proposed Notable Trees”. The “protected trees” have been previously raised by staff and some councillors as a reason why alternative signalised pedestrian crossing designs further away from the roundabout are not viable options.
- There has not yet been a full community consultation on the proposed crossings.
Links
The Council meeting Agenda:
Full video of the Council meeting:
Unconfirmed meeting minutes:
Quotes
From the minutes of the Extraordinary Council Meeting, Wednesday 23 October 2024
“Resolved: (Cr Wilson/Cr Bydder)
That the Council:
- a) receives the report;
- b) delegates staff to work with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on an updated design for a Level Signalised Pedestrian Crossing (between the Hamilton Jamia Mosque and Stanley Street) using funding from the CERF Transport Choices Programme with the works to be completed by 30 June 2025;
- c) notes staff have raised the matter of trees location and that have been delegated authority to undertake the necessary works to enable the pedestrian cross to be completed;
- d) approves, if b) above is not achieved, the reallocation of remaining CERF Transport Choices Programme funding to the installation of bus shelters and bike parking, with 90% subsidy from the NZ Transport Agency being $360,000 and 10% local share funding being $40,000 with the work to be completed by 30 June 2025;
- e) requests, if b) above is not achieved, staff report back early in 2025 with an updated macroscope for approval that includes updated options for level crossing points on Heaphy Terrace south of the Hamilton Jamia Mosque and a wider plan to consider treatments for the Heaphy Terrace and Boundary Road Intersection with funding from Council’s local share transport fund and NZTA co-funding; and
- f) notes that a safe pedestrian facility near the Hamilton Jamia Mosque has the strong support of Council.
Deputy Mayor O’Leary and Cr van Oosten dissenting.”
Further reading on this issue
What are the disadvantages and negative impacts of “traffic calming”?
