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Improving travel links between Papamoa and the Mount

Improving travel links between Pāpāmoa and the Mount

Girven Road and Oceanbeach Road are the key access route for commuters and the community to get between  Pāpāmoa and the Mount.  However, getting around these roads safely and easily can be challenging at peak times.

Why is change necessary?

Girven Road and Oceanbeach Road are the key access route for commuters and the community to get to and from school, work, local parks, shops, the beach or other places they want to go. Over the past few years, you’ve let us know that getting around safely and easily between Pāpāmoa and the Mount can be challenging, especially at peak times.  You’ve told us you want less traffic congestion along this route and improved visibility from driveways on Oceanbeach Road during peak times, to ensure the safety of pedestrians and school children. 

A further safety review identified the need to improve the Oceanbeach Road / Girven Road intersection as well as find ways to improve peak hour traffic flow along Oceanbeach Road.

How are we addressing congestion?

Peak hour congestion and off-peak speeding has compromised visibility for pedestrians, cyclists and alternative transport users when accessing the beach and shops. A contributing factor is the number of intersections between Maranui Street, Grenada Street and Oceanbeach Road.

Congestion is compounded by the inefficiency of the Oceanbeach Road to Maranui Street connection via Girven Road. To ease peak traffic flow and provide defined pedestrian crossing points, a roundabout is proposed at Girven Road, providing a more direct connection between Maranui Street and Oceanbeach Road. This will also help reduce speed and create a calmer environment, improving safety for everyone who travels through the area.

Pāpāmoa Mount Link Roundabout

How are we addressing safety?

To address visibility issues reducing safety during peak traffic hours, a clearway system is planned along Oceanbeach Road between Golf Road and Girven Road from mid-2024. This will restrict parking on the north-bound side of Oceanbeach Road between 7-9:30am and on the south-bound side from 2:30-6pm, Monday to Friday.

The clearway will be identified by signs installed approximately 100m apart and will be monitored by council traffic wardens.  

Pāpāmoa Mount Link Clearway

The additional road space during peak hours will improve visibility and safety entering and exiting of Oceanbeach Road driveways. It also allows more space for cyclists during peak hours, increasing separation of bikes and cars which ensures a safer environment for all road users. Parking will still remain available on one side of Oceanbeach Road at all times.

FAQ's

Golf Road and Girven Road are the main access roads serving the Arataki area from State Highway 2 and are therefore busy at peak times and prone to congestion. Congestion is compounded by the inefficiency of the Oceanbeach Road to Maranui Street connection via a short section of Girven Road. To lower the number of intersections and therefore encourage a more seamless and safer traffic flow, a central roundabout will be installed at the Girven-Maranui Intersection and the right turn bay removed at the Oceanbeach-Girven intersection. This option should provide a high level of safety as roundabouts generally involve slower crash speeds than intersections controlled by traffic signals, stop, or give-way signs.

To help manage traffic congestion we need to provide our community with safe, reliable and easy choices to get around Mount Maunganui. There are gaps in the network for walking and cycling, so many people are not choosing these options. Dedicated infrastructure like separated cycle lanes and shared paths will increase safety, which in turn encourages more people to walk or cycle and helps normalise these travel choices. 

The additional space available on the road during the Oceanbeach Road clearway hours will enable safer cycling and pedestrian movement.

The improvements also incorporate new shared pathways near intersections and the new roundabout.

Seven new raised zebra crossings will be installed in the area to support pedestrian desire lines . This includes three on Oceanbeach Road, two on approach to the roundabout from Girven Road and Maranui Street, and two further along Maranui Street near Omanu Way. 

The benefit of placing pedestrian crossings near a roundabout include: 

  • Roundabouts can be designed to ensure low vehicle speeds. 
  • Roundabouts generally reduce the severity of pedestrian crashes due to the slower vehicle speeds. 
  • Pedestrian islands can be incorporated into splitter islands dividing the crossing into two movements which reduces pedestrian delay.

As these crossings are raised, they will improve safety for all travelling through the area using any mode of transport by reducing the speed on Girven Road, Maranui Street and Oceanbeach Road to provide safe pedestrian crossing points to access the beach and shops. 

  • Raised pedestrian crossings are like regular pedestrian crossings but sit on a platform raised above the road. They are obvious as a safe place to cross, give pedestrians priority to cross, help to reduce or reinforce slower vehicle speeds, and increase drivers’ give way rates. 
  • Raising pedestrian crossings can eliminate grade changes from the pedestrian route and therefore the need for kerb ramps.

Pedestrian crossings concentrate pedestrian and cyclist movement to specific locations where they can safely cross the road. By placing these crossings at strategic locations, there will be less need for unpredictable crossing along the street making it safer for everyone. The seven new raised crossings have been placed at natural points on the travel network where either the demand for people to cross is greater or where the traffic naturally needs to slow for an intersection.

We know a clearway is inconvenient for residents, but we heard from several residents that the status quo is unsafe for kids cycling to school and residents entering and exiting their properties.
The clearway system is a compromise that will have the least impact on residents.  Other recommendations in the safety review recommended a full parking ban on Oceanbeach Road. With this option there will be parking available on one side of Oceanbeach Road at all times.  

This clearway will provide better visibility for everyone during the congested peak hours. The clearway system will still allow daytime parking to reach the beach along with overnight car parking, noting that only the northbound car parks require clearance by 7am.

Key information

Project type
Transport and movement

Status
Planning

Neighbourhood
Mount Maunganui / Arataki

Key dates

  • Safety review of Girven Road / Oceanbeach Road commissioned 

    June 2022
  • Detailed design complete

    July 2023
  • Community engagement

    August – December 2023
  • Construction

    January - April 2024
  • Planned Oceanbeach Road clearway in effect

    Mid-2024

Who's listening

The Transportation Team
Tauranga City Council

Email: papamoamountlink@tauranga.govt.nz
Phone: 07 577 7000

Resources

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