I am writing in support of Yuva Adhikary’s letter “Forget raised crossing, what about footpaths in Flat Bush?” published by the Times last week.
His legitimate concerns about the proposed raised pedestrian crossing on Pakuranga Road, which are shared by so many people, merit to be taken seriously by Auckland Transport.
Pakuranga is a main arterial road that provides rapid access to and from East Auckland and serves up to 40,000 vehicles on a weekday. Building a raised pedestrian crossing on that road would go completely against its purpose; very much like putting a speed bump on a motorway.
On the other hand, there is a pedestrian crossing 300m away from the proposed site. Educating the public about the safe use of existing crossings would make much more sense than trying to over-protect the small number of pedestrians who take risks – and will continue to do so whether there is a crossing or not – at the cost of disrupting thousands of motorists and creating unnecessary congestion on a busy road.
It would make a lot more sense to use the budget to build much-needed footpaths in Flat Bush and other places where there are road safety issues.
Raquel Francois
Cockle Bay
