Thames’ red courtesy crossings are staying where they are, after the community board decided not to adopt proposed changes from the local business association – but instead has made improvements of its own.
The crossings were installed across Mary and Pollen Sts in 2021 as part of pedestrian safety improvements for the former Create the Vibe public space. However, a Thames Business Association spokesperson told The Profile they’d heard of near-misses occurring at the crossings since they were put in place.
“One of the association’s strategic objectives is advocacy – and when a number of our members, and also non-members, approached us to ‘do something before someone gets killed’, we did… we followed due process.”
The business association put in a request to council staff to address the crossings, and were directed to its roading manager, who then suggested the association’s committee make a formal request to the Thames Community Board.
Following this, the business association said it received a response from chair Adrian Catran, who, on behalf of the community board, said elected members did not feel it was an issue for concern and would not be taking any action.
“We were disappointed; however, we have to accept that the majority of the Thames Community Board have no concerns about the red crossings and the potential danger they represent to pedestrians and drivers,” the business association said.
“We’ve reported back to our members and many are not satisfied with the response.”
However, Mr Catran said the board was “more than happy” with how people were currently using the crossings. He said they were installed four years ago and there had been no pedestrian accidents recorded.
“As with most new initiatives, there is always room for improvement,” he said. “As board chair I requested that the word ‘pedestrian’ be added to the crossings, so now it reads: ‘Pedestrians: Stop. Look’.
“Currently, I have a Request for Service lodged with council for the current information signs to be made larger and a simple explanation given explaining on how to use the crossings.”
He also noted the crossings needed to be repainted and hoped that would happen in council’s next round of road marking.
According to Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, courtesy crossings are intended to “facilitate eye contact between pedestrians and drivers, resulting in a mutually negotiated position over who goes first”.
Drivers were not required to stop at courtesy crossings; however the official New Zealand road code recommended that drivers be courteous to pedestrians using or waiting to use a courtesy crossing.
But while the business association believed the cheapest and easiest way for the red crossing confusion to disappear was to get rid of them, Mr Catran said the board’s general feeling was that there was no evidence to suggest removing the crossings would make the area a safer environment.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
