Grey Street/Beale Street intersection improvements

Our staff are professional transport planners and engineers who spend a lot of time and effort to get these projects right. However, we always seek feedback from residents and businesses as you know your local streets better than anyone else. You’re able to provide insights that we may not have and highlight anything you may think we’ve overlooked.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are funding 51% of the costs for the project, with the remaining costs covered by Hamilton City Council.

A raised safety platform is a flat-topped speed hump. It’s not as jarring for drivers or vehicles as the traditional judder bar.

The number and severity of crashes in Hamilton has dropped significantly in places where raised safety platforms have been installed. A person hit at 50km/hr only has a 10% chance of survival. If the car is going 30km/hr, their chance of surviving increases to 90%.

We’ve started using raised safety platforms at busy intersections in areas where there’s a lot of people walking and biking, particularly around schools.

Raised safety platforms also create a level crossing from footpath to footpath. This is important to enable people of all ages and abilities to safely cross the street by removing the need to step up or down between the footpath and the road.

The crossings are raised to encourage drivers to approach the crossing at a safer speed to minimise the harm to a pedestrian if a crash did occur. Everyone makes mistakes and our transport network must be designed in a way that will not lead to deaths or serious injuries.

We want to make it easier and safer for everyone to move around our city and encourage people to travel in a more sustainable way.

The intersection is busy as it’s close to several schools such as Marian Catholic School, Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Hamilton East School, and Hamilton Boys’ High School. There are also several businesses surrounding it, including the Hamilton East Medical Centre which attracts many patients and clients.

The raised safety platform will slow traffic down temporarily but ensure traffic continues to flow at a steady pace. The changes will create more gaps for drivers to enter the roundabout and will improve traffic flow from Beale Street - especially at busy times such as a school pick up and drop offs, and before and after church services.  

Drivers would only have to stop when people walking and biking are crossing the street.

Active modes of transport as well as public transport move larger groups of people compared with cars which take up the most road space per person of any mode of transport – creating congestion.

We’re currently highly reliant on our cars in Hamilton which is why we’re investing in improved infrastructure to support more travel options.

There will be a six-metre gap between the limit lines for the roundabout and the raised safety platform - enough space to fit a standard vehicle. The raised safety platforms on Beale Street will be installed at the limit lines.

The raised safety platform will be full asphalt to minimise noise and vibration.

A total of 27 carparks will be removed – 18 on Grey Street and nine on Beale Street. Most of the businesses in the area have on-site parking, and there’s a paid carpark next to Acuppa Café.

The carparks on the west and east side of Grey Street, south of the intersection, have parking restrictions so vehicles can only stay for 60 minutes. The other car parking spaces have no restrictions.

We’ve undertaken parking surveys to determine the occupancy of these car parks at different times and days.

Two vehicle accesses will need to be reconstructed at 511 Grey Street - The Cancer Society. Both these vehicle accesses (one on Grey Street and one on Beale Street) will need to be extended as part of the project.

Two trees may be impacted by the planned changes. Further assessments will determine what action is required. Any trees that need to be removed would be replaced.

If the project is approved by councillors, construction will be completed before June 2024.

The construction process won’t be determined until after the project is approved by councillors.

We always aim to minimise the disruption to businesses. However, the construction process won’t be confirmed until after the project is approved by councillors.

We always aim to minimise the disruption to businesses. However, the construction process won’t be confirmed until after the project is approved by councillors.