Ōrākei bus stop ‘danger’: Deputy Mayor, motorists, cyclists rebuke AT

Deputy Mayor says locals are upset about a bus stop jutting out into road, causing traffic issues.

Auckland’s Deputy Mayor, motorists, and cyclists have voiced concerns over a bike lane on one of Ōrākei’s busiest roads, described as “lethal” and slowing down traffic.

But Auckland Transport (AT) denies there are “any problems” after claiming they have been monitoring it daily.

Desley Simpson posted to Facebook yesterday evening questioning the decision to reinstall a bus stop on Ngapipi Rd which juts further out onto the road due to a cycle lane beside it.

“If a bus stops now, it halts all other traffic,” the post read.

The bus stop was temporarily further up to the road towards Tamaki Drive while the newly instated cycle lane was being worked on, leaving Simpson questioning why it wasn’t moved there permanently.

“If they had indented the stop in its temporary location where there is potentially room to pull in, and therefore keep other traffic flowing, that wouldn’t happen,” Simpson said.

People took to the comments to complain not only about the fact it would completely hold up traffic on a busy road but also about the risk it posed to passengers and cyclists.

“Do we have to look back to see how badly injured an elderly lady was hopping off a bus and being hit by a guy on a scooter to realise that a passenger disembarking a bus there could be seriously injured by a speeding cyclist,” one person wrote.

“Absolutely dangerous,” another said.

But AT said “nobody [will] actually [lose] any time” by waiting behind a bus stopped there and said the raised platform for bus passengers would ensure safety.

“We have also been monitoring this whole site daily and have not witnessed any queuing as a direct result of the bus stop or cycle facility,” an AT spokesperson said.

Indented stops which don’t block traffic lanes were no longer permitted in urban areas unless buses were expected to stop longer than to pick up or drop off passengers, the spokesperson said.

“While a bus pauses, if drivers following the bus can see to pass the bus safely then they can do so,” she said.

“If they have to give way to oncoming traffic then they are expected to wait until they can see that it is clear.

“When the bus moves on, the whole stream of vehicles catches up to the traffic in front at the next junction, and nobody has actually lost any time.”

The spokesperson said the cycleway took up space which would otherwise enable an indented stop.

“Our staff have been observing this bus stop daily and found no one experiencing any problems.”

They just need to bring the dropped kerb back into the berm before it and have protection run til the end. The bend is the most lethal part so to leave the transition to the shared path that late is really really dangerous @AklTransport, like lethal dangerous. pic.twitter.com/p0ZDASj8v5

— Peter McGlashan (@PeterMcGlashan) March 9, 2023

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board elected representative and former Black Cap Peter McGlashan also complained about the same stretch of road and the newly built cycle lane but from the point of view of the rider.

McGlashan tweeted today that it was great to see cyclists using the new lane, but the transition onto the shared footpath after the lane infrastructure finished was “lethal”.

“Only 2ft wide, unprotected & on a bend. Needs fixing ASAP,” he shared on Twitter.

“They just need to bring the dropped kerb back into the berm before it and have protection run til the end. The bend is the most lethal part so to leave the transition to the shared path that late is really really dangerous.”

But AT said it was safe - and said the cycleway was still under construction.

“The cycleway is safe to use at slow speeds,” a spokesperson said.