Locals baffled by work at busy offramp

A bus interchange being built by a busy motorway offramp in Auckland is baffling the local community and concerns are rising about the possibility of crashes.

Act MP Simon Court, who lives in West Auckland, said people were ‘‘upset and confused’’ by a speed bump and bus stop being put in at the Te Atatū motorway offramp.

‘‘I saw the speed bump and asked Transport Minister Michael Wood why it was there and he told me it would help slow down traffic near the new bus stop.

‘‘I don’t understand why you would put a bus stop on a busy offramp,’’ Court said.

In Te Atatū , commuters had been using express buses to get into the Auckland CBD, Court said, but this had now been ditched for a new connecting service where people would need to change buses beside the offramp.

Several West Aucklanders voiced their concerns on social media about the placement of the bus stop, saying the area was busy and it could increase the chance of a pedestrian being hit.

Court said there had been little consultation with the public on the new bus stop and locals should have been asked what they wanted.

‘‘We got a flyer in our letterbox telling us there’d be no express bus any more and a shuttle would be used instead with a change over, but that was all the consultation there was.

‘‘I’ve lived in West Auckland since I moved out of home and went flatting and it seems to always be forgotten about when it comes to transport upgrades.’’

A Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency spokesperson said the bus stops were built to operate Western express bus services between the city centre and Westgate via State Highway 16, the Te Atatū westbound offramp and Lincoln westbound offramp.

‘‘The Northwestern bus improvements project will provide more reliable bus journeys,’’ the spokesperson said.

‘‘The new stops improve journey times which will encourage more people to take the bus and reduce traffic congestion.’’

The location of the bus stop was selected to align with the express bus network and limit additional travelling time when exiting the motorway, the spokesperson said.

A ‘‘raised safety platform’’ had been installed rather than a speed bump, the spokesperson said, as a speed management tool to keep public transport users safe. ‘‘There’s also a concrete barrier which will separate traffic from the pedestrian waiting area. Appropriate signage and road markings will make motorists aware of the raised safety platform.’’

The agency did not answer questions about the perceived lack of consultation.