Subscribe to RSSDominion Rd Debate Back On
The Save Dominion Rd group says a much simpler, less intrusive and less disruptive plan for the road “could save the council millions which could be better spent on the council’s rail projects.”
It says the plan to widen most of Dominion Rd would cost $67m which would be better spent on rail - as well as the plan not necessarily improving transport and affecting businesses and residents in adjourning streets.
Dominion Rd is a street of character, heritage, businesses and communities but plans concerning it have never had proper consultation with stakeholders.
Besides asking for firm guidelines around consultation policy for the Auckland Transport, it says that for the sake of future generations, the proposals for Dominion Rd should be reviewed.
The group’s earlier battle over council plans saw the outgoing council backtrack just before the election and kick the hot potato over to the new Auckland Transport CCO.
At the officials’ level, further investigation is being undertaken to analyse options and finalise the scheme. The project team is currently preparing a strategic overview of the project to present to the Auckland Transport Board in February or March. From there, it’s said the project design will be progressed in consultation with the businesses and residents along Dominion Road.
The group is appearing before the new council’s transport committee, chaired by Mike Lee, today to argue that Dominion Rd isn’t just a “major arterial” but a “vibrant and successful community road.”
The Save Dominion Rd submission today, being presented by John Hickey on behalf of the Dominion Rd group says: “Transport plans should not compromise the health of businesses, the community amenity of Dominion Rd villages of the pedestrian appeal and safety of the road.
“Transport planning should aim to promote a liveable city based on and including:
- Thorough, thoughtful consultation and engagement processes that aim to achieve win-win outcomes. (The previous council outcomes show what happens when a cursory top-down approach is taken to the consultation.)
- An approach which uses local community knowledge as part of the planning process and improves Dominion Rd for all stakeholders: businesses, local residents and those travelling through the area.”
DOMINION: Think about the community
You’ll recall that the old Ken Baguley-led transport committee last June, had instructed Auckland City Council officers to consult on replacing the bus lane with a T2 lane, the widening works, removal of on‐street parking and construction of a separate cycle lane in the mid blocks.Consultation did not include works in the village centres. The consultation phase closed at the end of August .
Then the outgoing committee, at its last meeting in September, resolved to remove the separate cycle lane and permit on street parking as a result of strong feedback from the public. The transport committee also removed the T2 requirement (except for taxis – to be resolved). Those resolutions occurred before the results of the consultation submissions were available. The submissions generally support the retention of the cycle lane.
8 Comments
Put the buslanes down the mddle, remove some onstreet parking but put in measure to slow the traffic through the town centres so that it doesn’t become a higway.
I think AT should hold off this project until such time that they can afford trams. The capacity of a design with in-lane bus stops could be reached quickly.
I did a post on this recently, there is no reason why we can’t get it being a good transport corridor as well as improving the town centres.
http://transportblog.co.nz/2010/12/13/sorting-out-dominion-road/
Trams could be affordable now IMO, and I agree that redeveloping this for trams would provide a much better long term solution, the main concern would be that the leg from Dominion Rd to Britomart would be quite expensive and protracted, whereas a bus solution would only need to deal with Dominion Rd at this point.
While my top of mind interest is protecting Dom Rd’s community road values in any redesign to improve its arterial role, what will be really interesting is seeing how the Transport CCO regards community involvement in formulating design on this and other projects with significant impacts on community roads.
Would be interesting to know if Dominion really should be seen as an arterial. It really shouldnt been seen the same way as say Balmoral Road.
Isnt most traffic on Dom Road generated by the road itself?
This would be different to Balmoral road where most traffic is through traffic.
Yes this is problem, vehicle movement is prioritised over place. It should be the other way around. Squeeze the road with transit and quality of place will improve, driving will reduce, people will choose to use the prioritised mode. Win/win/win. Better place, higher transit take up, fewer cars downstream. Ideally with trams, but could be buses for now, although beware temporary solutions as they tend to outstay their welcome: would be good to do something longterm for once in AK.
There really doesn’t seem to be much of a strategic approach to Dominion Rd.
in some ways, this goes back to the 1965 De Leuw Cather Reports - ie a motorway next to Dominion Rd - and councils have just kept on at it - largely helped that David Hay wanted a highwya from his front door into the town hall!
Dominion Rd feeds Mt Roskill/Blockhouse bay into the CBD - ie 12% of workers plus students. but 2 other arterials do part of that job as well - Mt Eden Rd and Sandringham Rd.
While the feeder areas have growm since1965 - new subdivisions etc, it’s not an area of high population growth in any regional plans - largely due to poor/non existent stormwater capacity.
ARTA/ARC decided it was a bus route to the airport - which it isn’t. SH20 will act as a quicker CBD to airport route. And SH20 will also reduce traffic on Dominion. Even for Buses, won’t a shoulder bus lane still provide a faster CBD route?
The Council thinking was stuck on “it’s a long straight road - we better do something with it!” - yet it’s worked well - both for local communities, and also as a very successful bus route.
So will there really be much need to accomodate more transport on Dominion Rd? there are 3-4 things working against that - SH20 / low intensification/alternative arterials and the CBD tunnel.
For CBD/Newmarket rail is the best way to move large numbers. one train = 25-30 buses. that is where increased capacity will come in the future.
Once CBD rail loop is in place, the bus system needs to look at linking those living at the southern end of Dominion Rd into Onehunga and New Lynn / Mt ALbert.
I’ve seen no real strategic analysis around Dominion Rd, and absolutely no cost/benefit and prioritisation of the $80-100m. I’m sure there are a lot better projects that will deliver real improvements.