Board renews fight against 'danger' of Auckland container trucks rolling through residential Ōrākei

Ōrākei Local Board wants container trucks banned from passing through its territory unless they have business there. Photo / File

East Auckland leaders have renewed their campaign to ban container trucks from the port rolling through residential Ōrākei and other nearby suburbs.

Because of the "danger" they pose, container trucks should be prevented from using the residential route from the port to the container facility in Panmure, the Ōrākei Local Board says.

The board is pressuring Auckland Transport to prohibit the heavy vehicles from the route along Tamaki Drive, Kepa Rd, Kohimarama Rd and St Johns Rd unless their destination is within the board's territory. The container facility is in the territory of the adjoining Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board.

Ōrākei Local Board wants vehicles banned from turning left from Solent St into Tamaki Drive. Map / Google

"These roads form a relatively narrow and bending route through residential streets, with tight signalised intersections, and with part of Kepa Rd on hilly unstable land," the board says in the agenda for its meeting tomorrow.

It says the density of residential development in the vicinity of the route is increasing.

"With three schools on this route there is the increasing potential danger to pedestrians and cyclists."

"The proposed freight transportation report presently being developed by Auckland Transport may not address the potential and significant safety issues raised by the board, and could recommend the continuation of this route for container traffic."

"The alternative Stanley St/Grafton Rd route was specifically constructed for heavy container vehicle movement from the port to the motorway."

The board has also asked AT for a bylaw that would reinstate the left-turn ban for vehicles on Solent St at the intersection with Tamaki Drive.

Auckland Transport's two-sentence response, printed in the agenda, states that the route opposed by the board is "an agreed over-dimension and freight route".

"Auckland Transport has noted the comments from the board however there are no current plans to establish an alternate route at this time."