The Rugby World Cup is nearly upon us, with some visible upgrades to Sandringham Rd, and some not so visible. Hayley Hannan talks to locals in the area and hears their take on matters.
Two buses whizz down Sandringham Rd, enjoying the clear run in a bus-only lane. For Julie Kelleway, the new green lane is more of a headache.
"We get some real issues with people turning across the bus lane. The buses rush through here and are moving at real pace. You end up with quite a major traffic jam."
The Sandringham Rd bus lane stretches across the entrance to a cluster of a creche, a swimming pool, parking and a shared space. Down around the corner, cars attempt to cross the bus lane to reach Walters Rd, one of the main entrances to Eden Park.
"We have gone from having quite free-flowing traffic to being quite congested, messy and potentially dangerous," says Mrs Kelleway.
The bus lane was a costly project, one of many in preparation for the Rugby World Cup.
During 2007 and 2008, the then-Auckland City Council spent close to $3 million buying four villas to widen the road. The houses are opposite Kingsland station and a five-minute walk from Eden Park.
The four weatherboard villas, all pre-1914, first made news when locals feared they would be torn down. Now back on the market, the houses have been pushed back 3m and spruced up.
Council property manager Ian Wheeler says the renovations - new bathrooms and kitchens, painting, some reroofing and weatherboard replacements - cost $273,913.
Neither Mr Wheeler, nor Bayleys real estate agent Trevor Elia, will say how much the properties are likely to cost. Capital values range from $620,000 to $690,000 each.
Mr Wheeler defends the project, saying providing transport options for people is a key priority for Auckland Council. Profits will be reinvested in services and facilities in the area.
As always, council spending is a contested topic. Eden Park Neighbours Association's Mark Donnelly feels it is a waste of ratepayers' money.
"We always expressed concerns about the total cost of that project and whether it was really needed. It took up a lot of the budget that could have been spent on other areas."
The bus lane has increased traffic's speed, he says, making the road more dangerous.
On the other side of the picket fence, Eden Park Residents Association chair, Jose Luis Fowler, congratulates the council.
"They were rundown old villas and the efforts the council went to to keep the period villas and move them on to the rear of the original section was very commendable ... selling the properties seems the ideal thing to do."
A number of shopowners and residents who spoke to The Aucklander also felt the council had done a commendable job on the houses and were indifferent to the bus lane. Business groups say the money would have been better spent on upgrades that delivered long-term benefits.
Kingsland Business Improvement District chair Steve Gillet would have preferred parking spaces were retained rather than the clearway along the bus lane.
He also would have liked to see the money spent on upgrades in Kingsland, such as traffic calming. Plans for the district have been culled over the past two years, leaving Kingsland with a basic upgrade of footpaths, kerbs and some street furniture.
Further down the road, Sandringham Business Association would like some of the money invested in the community. Andrew Bell says the village has a number of projects - pedestrian safety, village gateways and murals - that need money.
Billion-dollar baby
The Sandringham Rd bus lane is part of the $1.5 billion rail, motorway and ferry upgrades in preparation for Rugby World Cup visitors. A total of $20 million has been spent improving Sandringham Rd and streets surrounding Eden Park.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Aucklander
What have we learned from the Auckland floods?
OPINION: There have been changes to warn city residents to get to higher ground.