A resident group in a west Auckland suburb is fuming over the wasted tax and ratepayer money being spent to modify a new speed table ramp that was part of a million dollar project five years ago.
By Torika Tokalau of Local Democracy Reporting
The speed table ramp in the Glen Eden town centre, on the intersection of West Coast and Glendale roads, is being modified after complaints of vehicle damage to suspensions and broken engine mounts.
According to the Glen Eden Residents Association and the Waitākere Ranges Local Board, the gradient was too steep.
It was installed in 2021 as part of a larger $6.5 million Glen Eden town centre safety and improvement project along West Coast Rd, mostly funded by the NZ Transport Authority.
Auckland Transport was now spending another $350,000 to modify it.
"This shouldn’t have happened," Heather Tanguay of the residents' association said.
She said the association had received complaints about the speed table "every other month" since it was initially installed.
"It was causing damage to people’s cars, under their vehicles ... big buses, fire engines, all of those people will be happier it’s being fixed."
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' money.
"For people that don’t like speed bumps and how it slows them down, and thought it would be removed, well they will always have something to complain about."
'One of the key issues raised by locals'
Local board chair Mark Allen said the board had advocated for change for several years.
"The speed table has been one of the key issues raised by local residents since it was installed, so we’re pleased to see Auckland Transport progressing this work," he said.
Auckland Transport’s head of road safety engineering Michael Brown said the original design standards resulted in raised tables that were severe and uncomfortable to cross.
"The 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," Brown said.
"Following savings elsewhere in the wider Road Safety Programme, funding was set aside to address the steep ramp."
Traffic management needed here is 'complex and costly'
Auckland Transport maintained the initial project was completed to the design and standards requirement in 2020.
"As the device is located on a key arterial route through a busy town centre, the traffic management required is complex and costly.
"However, after considering the ongoing safety benefits, the savings identified from other projects, and the local board’s advocacy, a decision was made to undertake the works."
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.
Brown said there had been a significant reduction in crashes across the town centre since the table was installed in 2021.
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.
"A post-implementation evaluation conducted two years after completion found the crash rate had reduced to six crashes per year, with no serious injuries recorded.
"This represents an excellent return on investment, given that each serious injury crash carries an estimated social cost of approximately $1m."
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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