Councillor Sophie Handford receiving the petition. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Councillor Sophie Handford receiving the petition. Photo / Rosalie Willis
After presenting a petition to council in November asking for a safer crossing on Poplar Ave to be established at the end of Te Ara o Whareroa, the shared pathway through Queen Elizabeth Park, community advocates and locals feel their voices are not being heard.
More than 700people signed the petition, which was created in order to protect children regularly crossing there, and prioritise the welfare of walkers and cyclists so as to encourage transport emissions to decline.
Created by Paul Callister, the petition was handed to councillor Sophie Handford with support from notable signatory, New Zealand climate scientist and Climate Change Commissioner James Renwick, who lives in Raumati Beach.
Locals standing where the Te Ara o Whareroa track comes out on Poplar Ave, petitioning for a safe crossing for cyclists and walkers. Photo / Rosalie Willis
This petition is also endorsed by Low Carbon Kāpiti, Kāpiti Climate Change Action Group and Kāpiti Cycling Action, whose aim is for people to be able to cycle safely in their local area.
Council has since hired external contractors Tonkin and Taylor to undertake a review, with the draft now available to council.
However, when undertaking the review, Tonkin and Taylor have not contacted Paul or others involved in organising the petition, with Paul saying they have not contacted any crossing users to understand what their concerns are.
"We wanted to be able to see and comment on the terms of reference but the council have not allowed this.
"We hoped there would be an open and transparent process where we worked with the council to try and solve the problem that over 700 signers of the petition have been concerned about.
"How they have done the review is certainly not what we were asking for."
In response, council access and transport manager Glen O'Connor said Tonkin and Taylor were contracted in late 2021 to complete a technical review of the crossing to assess the safety of the area from an engineering point of view.
The petitioners' "safety first" message. Photo / Rosalie Willis
He said they would then report back on what potential work could be done to improve safety in the area.
"We have received a draft report, are in the process of reviewing it and expect to have a final version of this report available for the public in March.
"Any major upgrades resulting from this report will be subject to funding as part of future funding processes — for example, the annual plan.
"The opportunity for public consultation will be included through that process too.
"We appreciate the community's concern about this and acknowledge the advocacy."
However, the petition organisers do not believe the way the review is being undertaken is transparent and do not believe their voices are being heard.
A family trying to cross the road to the cycle path. Photo / Rosalie Willis
"We want proper community engagement," Paul said.
"The council have funded a desktop engineering study — there was no attempt to talk to people using the crossing.
"Best practice in New Zealand and overseas shows consultants and council planners can't understand the issues unless they talk to the concerned community.
"We believe good solutions come from collaborative approaches to safety."
With Waka Kotahi recently launching a national campaign to reduce road deaths to zero, Paul said this requires immediate action from all those responsible for our roads and for keeping cyclists and walkers safe.
