Safety the driver for spruce-up of Raumati Village roads
Road improvements at Raumati Village are planned to improve safety, particularly around intersections and crossing points used to access schools and shops.
Councillor James Cootes, Transportation portfolio holder, says about 2,300 children of all ages spill out onto the footpaths each day and safety improvements are welcomed.
“When you mix that in with motorists doing pickups and driving around to shops and the beach it’s not hard to see that there is the potential for things to go wrong,” Councillor Cootes says.
“It’s great to see the Council has a programme of traffic improvements rolling out to improve the safety of vulnerable users – in particular our older and younger residents. We’ve been steadily working with the Paraparaumu/Raumati Community Board over the past five years on a strategic programme of work to upgrade safety in Raumati Rd and in the Village, with more work planned.”
Access and Transport Manager Glen O’Connor says safety improvements for the next year include installing raised tables to lower speed and improving crossing points for pedestrians near the Rosetta Road/Victor Road intersection and at the Matatua Rd/Alexander Rd intersection.
“We’ve also got some other improvements in the pipeline and we’ll be working towards securing funding from NZTA and Council for those. These projects involve some significant changes, so we’ll be engaging with the community as well to understand all the issues and make sure we address them, and will work to ensure minimal disruption to businesses,” he says.
The work that’s subject to funding includes:
- A roundabout at Raumati Rd, Matatua Rd and Rosetta Rd intersection (planned for 2021/2022) and improvements at the intersection of Raumati Rd, Margaret Rd.
- In 2022/23 we’ll be looking at the possibility of converting Margaret Rd to one way once we can see how the changes at the intersection are working (subject to community feedback and funding).
Previous projects consulted on and completed in the Raumati Rd and Village area include:
- A roundabout at the Hillcrest Rd/Goldsborough Ave intersection
- Safety improvements at the Matai Rd intersection
- Safety and amenity improvements at the Weka Rd triangle
- A shared path on the north side of Raumati Road between the Kapiti Expressway and Weka Rd
- Improvements to Raumati Rd layout with improved turn bays and pedestrian crossing points
- A shared path on the eastern side of Margaret Rd from the College entrance to the shops
- The installation of electronic school warning signs and electric vehicle chargers
- The lowering of speed limits to 30km/hr in the Raumati Village centre area
- A new footpath on the western side of Alexander Rd from Tui Rd south to the Village