Let’s Get Wellington Moving says: prepare to stop

The first Let’s Get Wellington Moving ( LGWM) construction project is complete, seven years after the programme started.

The city’s Cobham Drive pedestrian crossing will start operating on Tuesday at 10am – a few months later than originally planned, after electrical issues delayed construction.

The crossing is located outside the kau Tangi (formerly ASB) sports stadium on the main road from the central city to Wellington airport.

The crossing was part of the plan for ‘‘a liveable city that is easy and safe to move around using different transport modes,’’ LGWM programme director Sarah Gardner said in a statement.

Speed limits were reduced last year as part of the project, dropping from 70kph to 60kph on Cobham Drive.

Gardner urged everyone using the road, including drivers, to take extra care.

‘‘If you are driving on Cobham Drive, please be aware of the new pedestrian crossing lights and take extra care and be ready to stop. If you are crossing this road and walking or biking or using a wheelchair, please use this crossing as it is the only safe place to cross for nearly 2km along this busy four-lane stretch of road. Take extra care while everyone adjusts to this new crossing.’’

The crossing would make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to access Tahitai, the new shared path on the coast, she said.

Safety improvements to the route received support in community consultation, but the crossing itself faced opposition because of the delay it would cause for traffic to and from the airport.

Wellington Airport tried and failed to delay construction with a judicial review last year, but dropped the case after their interim arguments were rejected by the High Court.

National’s transport spokesperson Simeon Brown has also criticised the $2.4 million price tag attached to the crossing and lowering of speed limits along this stretch of road.

More construction projects are in the pipeline for LGWM, with plans to break ground on both the city’s Golden Mile pedestrianisation and Thorndon Quay cycleway and street redesign this year.