Some of Wensley Road in Richmond’s contentious speed cushions are to be removed.
Two sets of the traffic calming devices installed under the Streets for People programme are going to be removed following a decision by Councillors on Thursday.
The speed cushions are designed to slow traffic down in a new 30 km/h zone where both cyclists and vehicles use the narrower part of the road.
Tasman District Council Transportation Manager Jamie McPherson says despite the controversy surrounding the devices, they have had the desired effect.
“Vehicle speeds for that part of Wensley Road were previously close to 50km/h but recent monitoring shows those speeds have dropped to between 32 and 34 km/h.”
He says recent counts on Wensley Road also show the number vehicles using it have dropped by around 1,500 a day.
“Those vehicles are likely to have been using Wensley Road as an alternative to the parallel State Highway, Gladstone Road. Further detailed monitoring is planned to confirm wider traffic effects.”
Jamie McPherson says these adjustments to the number of speed cushions is in keeping with the ethos of the Streets for People programme, where relatively low-cost measures are piloted and adapted in response to feedback and monitoring.
He says, this section of Wensley Road is scheduled for a major pavement renewal early next year, with the installation of a raised pedestrian crossing – this is part of our programme of major roading upgrades this summer.
Jamie McPherson says investigations are also underway to see if cycle lanes can be incorporated into the design for that section of the road as well by shifting the kerb and channel alignment.
“This would provide an improved level of service for cyclists and drivers and enable the speed limit to be returned to 50 km/h.”
The speed cushion removal work will be done as soon as our contractors can fit it into their work schedule.