We've heard from the community that streets surrounding three primary schools in Halswell can be busy and difficult to cross, particularly for tamariki walking and biking to school. So, we've come up with a plan to make these streets safer.

Proposed safety treatments to make it safer and easier to cross streets surrounding Halswell School include:

Sabys Road

• Adding a pedestrian island at two locations between Jadewynn Place and Country Palms Drive, where kids have been observed crossing the road.
• Adding a pedestrian island and kerb buildouts where Sabys Road meets Halswell Junction Road.

These safety treatments reduce the crossing distance, making it safer and easier for kids to cross the road.

O’Halloran Drive (at Halswell Road intersection)

• Adding a pedestrian island to make it safer and easier for kids to cross O’Halloran Drive as they walk along Halswell Road.

This will also reduce the ability for motorists to make a U-turn at the intersection, which can cause safety risks to pedestrians and other road users.

School Road (at Larsens Road intersection)

• Adding a pedestrian island to make it safer and easier for kids to cross School Road, especially when the intersection is busy at school times.

There is an existing pedestrian island where Larsens Road meets Halswell Road, and another slightly north of Larsens Road on Halswell Road. These allow safer crossing by reducing crossing distance.

Kennedys Bush Road / School Road / Provincial Road roundabout

• Adding speed humps on each approach to slow traffic entering the roundabout. This reduces the likelihood and severity of a crash and will make people feel safer using the roundabout, whether driving, biking or walking.

There are existing traffic islands at the School Road and Kennedy Bush Road approaches to the roundabout. As Provincial Road has no traffic island, the proposed speed hump would span both lanes on the road.

Proposed safety treatments to make it safer and easier to cross streets surrounding Oaklands School include:

Dunbars Road / McMahon Drive / Hindess Street roundabout

• Adding a pedestrian island on McMahon Drive to make it safer and easier to cross the road.
• Installing speed humps on each approach to slow traffic entering the roundabout.
• Adding tactile pavers and handrails to all four pedestrian islands – three existing and one new.

Dunbars Road (west of Balkwell Street)

• Installing a signal-controlled crossing to make it safer and easier to cross the road.
• Adding coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
• Adding kerb buildouts on the south side in the parking lane.
• Adding a pedestrian waiting area on the north side.

Ensign Street

• Adding two pedestrian crossing points, using pedestrian buildouts, making it safer and easier to cross the road.
• Adding two speed humps to slow traffic at each crossing point.

Lillian Street (at Ensign Street / Wales Street intersection)

• Adding a pedestrian island.
• Adding a no-stopping zone near the intersection to improve visibility.

Lillian Street (at Halswell Road intersection)

• Removing the existing no-stopping zone near the Halswell Road end of Lilian Street, providing increased parking.

We've heard from the community that Halswell Junction Road is busy and difficult to cross, particularly for kids walking and biking to Knights Stream School, the rugby fields and skatepark.

There is an existing pedestrian island on Halswell Junction Road at the Bill Harvey Walkway to support safer crossing. However, we've identified at on-site observations that there are very few gaps in traffic for crossing.

We're proposing to upgrade this crossing point with the following safety improvements:

• Installing a signal controlled crossing to make it safer and easier for kids to cross the busy road.
• Adding coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
• Extending coloured road surfacing to highlight the crossing to motorists.
• Extending the length of the existing pedestrian island.
• Adding pedestrian buildouts along the south side of the road to shorten the crossing distance.

We’ve proposed several different types of safety treatments across the area, each selected for its specific purpose and suitability to the location. On busy roads, where finding a safe gap to cross can be difficult, we’re proposing to install signal-controlled crossings. For quieter neighbourhood streets, we’re proposing simpler, cost-effective treatments like pedestrian islands, speed humps and widened kerbs at key crossings points. This tailored approach enables us to achieve the greatest possible safety improvements in the Halswell area.

These roads were prioritised due to their high traffic volume and associated safety concerns for children crossing, as evidenced by numerous community requests.