New Windsor intersection gets safer
New Windsor School students are now safer than ever from potential stray vehicles.
But there is still work to be done, principal Glenn Bermingham says.
The primary school sits on the busy intersection of Maioro St and New Windsor Rd which sees 32,000 cars passing through each day.
With hundreds of students pouring through the intersection before and after school, concern has long been expressed that it’s only a matter of time before a serious incident occurs between a vehicle and a student.
‘‘It’s an extraordinarily wide intersection…the health and safety of our children has been compromised for a period of time,’’ Bermingham says.
While the school has worked to report traffic offences and had a community constable involved, a long-term solution was paramount, he says.
As a result, the school and New Lynn MP David Cunliffe began petitioning Auckland Transport in February to invest in safety measures around the intersec- tion. This quickly began to materialise with two key features being completed at the start of July.
The first was a heavy grit sur- face to prevent speeding vehicles from sliding out and crashing onto the footpath. The second was two highlighted red pedestrian strips which alert drivers of ped- estrian crossings. ’’I’ve been chuffed at what’s happened so far,’’ Bermingham says. However the railings presently around the intersection are not nearly strong enough to prevent a vehicle from running onto the pavement, he says.
‘‘We want some sort of raised barrier that would put the children just slightly above the road or give some level of protection.’’
New Lynn MP David Cunliffe says Auckland Transport is committed to either a high grade reinforced fence or a ‘‘grade separated footpath’’.
‘‘They’ve given me a verbal commitment that they will do one of those two and they said most likely raising the footpath. [AT] do regard this as a priority, they understand that it’s a safety issue. And they have committed to take action.’’ AT spokesperson Mark Hannan says a ‘‘yellow hatching’’ will also be installed at the intersection which will further discourage drivers from blocking the pedestrian crossings.