Local communities need to be part of designing their urban environment. After all, they know best what they need. The community in and around Warkworth have given more than most to fix a problematic piece of roading. The result is a future-focused and community-led redesign which takes into account everyone’s needs.
Hill Street today is a perfect storm. It’s a complicated and confusing bottleneck with high traffic from the five roads going into it. It’s been called ‘the worst intersection in the country’. The debate on how to design something better has lasted over a decade. While the Northern Motorway extension has reduced traffic going through the intersection, 3 new housing developments to house an estimated 10,000 new residents will take numbers using it to new highs.
The redesign encompasses two roundabouts and safety features for people walking and riding bikes. It’s a great example of community-led, future-focused design that takes into account the wider network around it. All parties agreed the new design and, at long last, we were ready to start construction.
That’s why it’s so appalling that Transport Minister Simeon Brown has withdrawn Government funding for this long-awaited improvement. The Minister believes the redesign conflicts with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) – at least in part because it includes cycleways.
Minister Brown claims to be prioritising basic infrastructure in withdrawing funding. The Minister called out specific objections to features of the design which prioritise safety for people outside cars. These included including 3 sections of cycleway.
The local community, which had been advocating for the redesign for years, is furious about the decision. Local group One Mahurangi Transport and Infrastructure Forum expressed particular frustration because they engaged with Auckland Transport and NZTA through the design process.
The people who will lose the most from this last-minute failure to follow through are kids. Many of the people who need to get through the intersection will be tamariki and rangatahi. This is because the new developments are to the northeast of the intersection while schools lie to the south and west of it. The agreed intersection design therefore carefully linked up with planned cycleways in the new developments.
The new design also connects to the popular Matakana Coastal Trail. The trail brings tourist dollars to the area. Making it easier to reach can only be a good thing for the local economy.
Local communities must be heard at the decision-making table. Those in Warkworth are taking a deep breath and getting ready to make their voices even louder. We call on our elected representatives to make sure they are truly listening to what New Zealanders want.
