A Howick Local Board member has spoken out saying the Board has fallen short of what the Bucklands Beach community asked for on The Parade, after it voted to abandon two planned pedestrian crossing projects.
Board member Damian Light was the lone vote against dropping the crossings at Devon Road and outside 41 The Parade, which the Board had approved in September 2025 before reversing course in March.
“I voted for all six sites to be delivered in line with community feedback and public safety,” Light wrote in an update on his website.
At the Board’s March meeting chairperson Bruce Kendall was successful in convincing his colleagues to reverse course on the crossings.
Kendall argued that the project had “no clearly demonstrated need, strong safety data, nor evident community demand”.
Light disagreed, saying “I voted against the reversal of the two sites in line with community feedback, public safety, and waste of public money”.
“While I’m pleased that there will be some improvements, I’m disappointed that after a decade of discussion and a lot of public money, we didn’t deliver enough of what the community wanted – safer access to the beach,” he wrote.
The Board has worked with Auckland Transport on safety improvements for The Parade since 2014.
Stage 1 was delivered in September 2024, with a raised pedestrian crossing near Laings Road and three speed humps.
Stage 2 originally proposed changes at six sites and went to public consultation in July 2025, with more than 500 letters delivered to residents.
Of the 24 responses, half were in support, a third were against and the rest were neutral, according to Light.
The Board approved four of the six sites in September 2025, then in March 2026 revoked its support for the two crossings.
Auckland Transport has since confirmed the works that will still go ahead.
At the Wharf Road intersection it will install new pedestrian zebra crossing markings, along with signage, lighting, vegetation pruning and a give-way sign.
At the Laings Road intersection it has dropped a proposed central traffic island, and will instead add chevron signs and markings to warn drivers of the bend, plus a high-friction road surface on the downhill approach.
Auckland Transport said it had agreed not to proceed with the traffic island after further investigation, opting for alternative traffic-calming measures.
Construction was due to begin in June, with residents to be told of the confirmed start dates and any disruption.
