Parent Calls For Better Playground Fencing To Stop ‘Runners'
The lack of fencing around a destination park in rural south Auckland, where 17,000 cars zoom by each day, has come under fire.
After hearing the safety pleas from a local parent and principal, the local board has agreed to fence the whole of Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park.
The upgrade of the historic Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park began last October, by Eke Panuku's Unlock Pukekohe High Level Project Plan.
Once complete in mid-2025, Te Pae Mahara Roulston Park is expected to feature improved play facilities to cater for a wider age range.
However, residents were unhappy that the playground on the corner of one of Pukekohe's busiest intersections, with a traffic volume count of 17,000 vehicles per day, was not going to be completely fenced.
Valley School principal Roger Goulstone, speaking at the Franklin Local Board meeting on Tuesday, said barriers or fencing was needed to keep children safe.
'With the busyness there, and attraction of a new facility, it's going to quite a higher traffic area,' Goulstone said.
'With the high amount of families coming, they would like the security of a barrier going at least around the park to stop kids wandering from off … [It's] a very busy intersection.'
The park, located at the corner of East St and Stadium Dr, is costing $1.5 million to upgrade.
The local board considered three design options – initially going with the first option which included a 900mm-high wired fence at the top of the park, leaving multiple areas of the park with no fencing or gates.
Option two included two additional gates with latches, including a sliding gate and a wired fence completely around the park.
Resident Sam Ross said she was stoked the park was being upgraded but felt it needed to be safe and inclusive for all users.
'As a mother of two neuro-diverse children, I'm particularly concerned about the safety issue.
'My kids have a tendency to be runners as do a lot of autistic children, they're brilliant climbers so they can easily scale the fence as is.'
According to Eke Panuku's overview of the project – the park was bordered by major arterial roadways that were expected to get even busier as Pukekohe grew, its website stated.
The local board moved a motion to adopt option two for fencing – supported by five of its nine members.
Member Logan Soole said the difference in design options was huge.
'They involve the addition of two more gates and extension of fencing,' Soole said.
He said one of the main issues board members debated about was accessibility, and highlighted Auckland's only accessible playground in Weymouth.
'If we choose to retrofit later, it will cost more and the likelihood of that happening is not very high.
'The one thing I don't want to see is us opening this park, and something happens and it undoes all the good work that the Pukekohe Unlock programme has brought for our town.'
Member Gary Holmes said they should upgrade the playground once, 'and do it right'.
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