Traffic lights installed at ‘death trap’ Auckland interchange following local activism

A group of activists championing change at a “death trap” at an intersection in rural south Auckland have won a temporary set of traffic lights to manage the hectic traffic flows on and off the highway.

At the increasingly crowded gas station and shopping area on Mill Road, Bombay, drivers struggle to enter and exit Mill Road between the gas station and State Highway 1 on and off ramps.

Drivers grow impatient and turn left, then make risky U-turns back to the freeway ramp.

Fed up with locals, the Bombay Collision Cross Roads Action Group was formed to demand change from Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport.

READ MORE:
* Grieving man calls on Auckland Transport to repair road after partner’s death
* One person has been killed in a two-vehicle accident in Glenbrook
* Waka Kotahi opens $16.4 million roundabout to reduce serious crashes in crash

That has resulted in a short-term design that would include a traffic light at SH1 southbound from Bombay, the northbound exit and ramp and the Bombay service center exit, all of which would be linked together, Waka Kotahi said. .

Between 2014 and 2021, there were two fatal accidents and five serious accidents, according to Mill Road road safety data from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport.

Bombay Collision Crossroads Action Group spokesman Bruce Owen said the entire stretch was a nightmare.

“One day … when you have heavy rain or maybe on a foggy day, or on a dark evening in rush hour, it’s a danger zone,” he said.

An email address set up for the campaign generated several strong responses.

An e-mailer who works as an Intercity bus driver said the intersection was particularly “deadly” at 5 p.m.

“As we travel north to our stop at station Z, it is nearly impossible to turn right,” they wrote. “The only way to do it is to nose in slowly until someone stops and blows their horn.”

Other writers said the area was a “fatal accident”, a “death trap” and “absolutely treacherous on weekends and holidays”.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Waka Kotahi said staff conducted traffic modeling before recommending that traffic lights were the most appropriate solution.

“In collaboration with BP gas station and Auckland Transport (as the local road authority for Mill Rd), further traffic modeling suggests that while it is difficult to solve all congestion problems ahead of planned longer term improvements (10+ years), signaling in the shorter term, it can solve a number of safety issues without significantly increasing delays.

“The next step will be to confirm the extent of road widening required, drainage requirements and impact on underground utility sites, before seeking funding to continue implementation of the proposed scheme.”

Owen said he praised Waka Kotahi for being proactive.

“A car [has] took the initiative to come up with a plan and I think we, as a local community group who want to see some action, appreciate that,” he said.

“We understand that funding is an issue and so it’s very positive that they come up with an interim solution for the node.”