\u201cThis shouldn\u2019t have happened,\u201d Heather Tanguay of the residents\u2019 association said.<\/p>\n
She said they had received complaints about the speed table \u201cevery other month\u201d since it was initially installed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was causing damage to people\u2019s cars, under their vehicles … big buses, fire engines, all of those people will be happier it\u2019s being fixed.<\/p>\n
Tanguay said the speed table was serving its purpose and reducing the number of accidents on the West Auckland road, but the design should have been right from the start to save ratepayers\u2019 money.<\/p>\n
Work is under way to fix the raised speed table at the Glen Eden town centre, installed in 2021. Photo \/ Torika Tokalau, The Post<\/p>\n
\u201cFor people that don\u2019t like speed bumps and how it slows them down, and thought it would be removed, well they will always have something to complain about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local board chair Mark Allen said they had advocated for change for several years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe speed table has been one of the key issues raised by local residents since it was installed, so we\u2019re pleased to see Auckland Transport progressing this work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
AT\u2019s head of road safety engineering Michael Brown said the original design standards resulted in raised tables that were severe and uncomfortable to cross.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe severity of the raised tables has generated a number of complaints over the years and has been a key issue raised by the local board,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing savings elsewhere in the wider Road Safety Programme, funding was set aside to address the steep ramp.\u201d<\/p>\n
AT maintained the initial project was completed to the design and standards requirement in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the device is located on a key arterial route through a busy town centre, the traffic management required is complex and costly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, after considering the ongoing safety benefits, the savings identified from other projects, and the local board\u2019s advocacy, a decision was made to undertake the works.\u201d<\/p>\n
The modification would make the speed table less pronounced and smoother for vehicles to drive across, and take two weekends to complete from August 21, weather depending.<\/p>\n
Brown said there had been a significant reduction in crashes across the town centre, since the table was installed in 2021.<\/p>\n
Prior to installation, there were around 19 crashes per year, with 94 crashes recorded over a five-year period. Of these, five were serious injury crashes, averaging one per year.<\/p>\n
\u201cA post-implementation evaluation conducted two years after completion found the crash rate had reduced to six crashes per year, with no serious injuries recorded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis represents an excellent return on investment, given that each serious injury crash carries an estimated social cost of approximately $1m.\u201d<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n