New crossing addresses safety issue

A zebra crossing has been put on the Orewa Boulevard after pedestrian safety concerns.

The $2 million upgrade of the Hibiscus Coast Highway through Orewa township left pedestrians and motorists unsure who had right of way, with coloured flagstones across the road resembling pedestrian points.

"Often motorists don't know if they have to give way to crossing pedestrians, and vice versa," Rodney District City Council communications adviser Mike Isle says.

"And this is a huge problem, we've noticed, among European tourists because in their countries this is what their pedestrian crossings are like."

He says the boulevard's crossing is a "relatively new concept in New Zealand" and, given the high level of complaints, a post-construction draft review is of particular relevance.

"We've identified that the people are right."

Temporary measures include more signs and a speed limit reduction.

The conventional pedestrian crossing, painted on Tuesday this week, will remove the ambiguities, Mr Isle says.

Orewa Boulevard is a joint venture between the council and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

- © Fairfax NZ News