Difficult life for Alicetown pedestrians
By Chrys Ayley
A resident of Hume Street, Alicetown says it is ridiculous so much money has been spent on improvements for motorists with the D2P project while pedestrians have largely been ignored. Karl Oliver said in a letter to the editor he is fuming that so much effort has been focussed on the flyover, and getting people into Lower Hutt and Wellington, when simply crossing the road is a monumental effort. ?Absolutely amazing that someone can design a system like this costing millions and not take pedestrians into consideration.? When contacted by the Petone Herald NZ Transport Agency Wellington Regional Director Dr Deborah Hume said pedestrians? needs and safety were considered and the final, permanent arrangement for pedestrians reflects this. Traffic volumes at the Dowse interchange would mean pedestrians having to cross five lanes of traffic if they remained on the eastern side of the road, she said. Pedestrians from Hume Street heading towards Petone?need to walk a small way towards Lower Hutt,?cross to the other side of the road then walk a short distance?before using?a second?crossing to return to the eastern side of the road. ?The crossings are currently in temporary locations - the permanent crossings will be outside the Marae and under the new bridge,? she said. There are other crossings further along Hutt road or pedestrians have the option to stay on the?eastern side of?Hutt Road, walk part way up the ramp and use the staircase to the western side of Hutt Road which is due for completion at the end of April.? The pedestrian crossings installed on Hutt Road as part of the project ensure people wanting to stay on the flat can do so safely. NZTA reminds people that the website www.nzta.govt.nz/d2p shows pedestrian routes for the finished project under its Images and Maps section.?
