Near misses on busy intersection worry parents

A parent concerned for children’s safety is asking for slip lanes to be removed at a busy intersection in Milford.

Grant Young has asked Devonport-Takapuna Local Board to pressure Auckland Transport to remove the slip lanes at the intersection of East Coast Rd, Kitchener Rd, Shakespeare Rd and Omana Rd. Young said the intersection had become too dangerous for pupils at Milford Primary School on Shakespeare Rd.

‘‘The issue is that, when we are on the driver’s left-hand side, they’re looking to their right to see if there is any traffic coming. ‘‘We have to make sure cars are fully stopped before we let any of the kids out,’’ Young said.

He explained there had been several near misses when cars had failed to stop for a pedestrian crossing the slip lane. Young said, on one occasion, a young girl was already on the crossing when a car failed to stop, nearly hitting her.

In his July report, DevonportTakapuna Local Board deputy chairman George Wood raised the issue of lack of pedestrian crossings along East Coast Rd and Forrest Hill Rd. Several parents accompanied a group of 10 children to the local board’s July meeting to endorse Wood’s views.

‘‘Due to a lack of a safe means of getting to school, many of these pupils are driven to school by their parents. This is not a satisfactory situation,’’ Wood said in his report. Although Wood was speaking specifically about children attending Campbells Bay Primary and Mairangi Primary, many Milford Primary pupils also have to cross East Coast Rd to get to school. Young said the removal

‘‘Due to a lack of a safe means of getting to school, many of these pupils are driven to school by their parents. This is not a satisfactory situation’’

George Wood

of the slip lanes would not affect the flow of traffic, as they were often not accessible with stopped traffic building up in peak-hour traffic. He echoed Wood’s statement the dangerous roads were only adding to the congestion.

‘‘Parents aren’t willing to let their kids walk to school ... getting kids out of cars is one of the most effective ways of dealing with traffic congestion, but intersections like this make it really unsafe for kids to walk to school,’’ Young said.

FLEUR MEALING One parent says many parents opt to drop their kids off at school rather than let them walk, because of safety concerns.