This is part two of our three part series on issues reporting problems you encounter on cycleways. Check out part one and part three.
They say it takes a village – think that’s to raise a child but in this case it applies to getting a dangerously placed bollard removed. They also say patience is a virtue so the person who was trying to get this issue resolved must feel incredibly virtuous.
This story begins in December 2017 when local resident Michael Lawton identified that a bollard on the Corban Estate Esplanade in West Auckland was too narrow for the accessibility of all path users.
On 15 December 2017 Michael contacted Auckland Transport (AT) about the art bridge bollard. On 8 February 2108 Michael received a reply acknowledging the problem and saying it would be done within 6 months.
Michael posts this ‘successful response’ on Twitter (as it was known back then) and receives a reply from Max Robitzsch “Been asking for that since literally 6 plus years ago… good to see it go finally.” https://twitter.com/MaxRobitzsch/status/961360423630004224
Note that Bike Auckland comments on the above X/Twitter post that ‘Six months seems like a long timeframe, but hey’…little were we to know….
Over 3 years later Michael followed up with AT by email and got no response so they jumped on Twitter and got the response on Twitter saying the case was “still active and with the relevant team. They will keep you updated directly” https://twitter.com/AklTransport/status/1404254830340739078
Bike Auckland observation: just how ‘active’ is this request after 3 years. Maybe it needed some life support?
Over 4 years later, yes that’s right 48 months and no action had been taken despite Michael repeatedly emailing AT with no replies, Michael tweeted an update:
19 April 2022 Michael tagged AT on Twitter – no response https://twitter.com/michaellawtonnz/status/1516077578918166532
1 June 2022 Michael forwarded emails to local Board councillor, Brooke Loader
Sixteen months on Grady O’Connell came across Michael Lawton’s tweet. For those not keeping up with the time that’s passed, it had now been 5 and a half years since Michael first raised this as an issue – significantly longer than the 6 months that was advised initially.
Grady also raised this as an issue with AT and then another member of the community advised them to raise it with Auckland Council so they did that too.
31 July 2023 Grady Connell tags AT on Twitter and also logs a job with Auckland Council.
A few days later Auckland Council closed the job as they identified it wasn’t something they deal with. And then AT closed the job logged with them too but they did ‘help’ by forwarding it to Auckland Parks.
So that’s a third player in the ‘who do we deal with’ and ‘who fixes things’ debacle; Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and now Auckland Parks.
At this point Sola from Bike Henderson jumped in as well and looped in Councillors Brooke Loader and Shane Henderson to get the issue out of the customer service loopdeloop.
Councillor Henderson forwarded the emails to his advisor at AT to follow up and Brooke Loader ‘escalated the concerns’ on 31 August 2023. A flurry of emails ensues and the issue bounces between the Council and AT but finally on 31 August 2023 Brooke Loader posted to Facebook that the bollard would be removed within 10 days
5 September 2023, nearly 6 years after Michael Lawton first reported this as an issue the bollard was finally removed — this required involvement from multiple members of the public, numerous emails and tweets and two local Board councillors. If this is the speed the wheels turn at when something is acknowledged as an issue as this was in the initial contact, imagine what it’s like when the issue isn’t so easily acknowledged.
