Waiheke is trialling a sign campaign that is specifically aimed at winding rural roads that are shared with multiple users.  Yeah.  Just like ours.

Below is their sign campaign.  And then ours which is an ugly cluttered mess, and not particularly effective judging by the number of crashes at this spot.

What I like about the AT ones is that it tells the story in a single sign and it tells a story about where you are –  it’s a rural road, it winds and is shared by multiple users who will be walking or biking or horse riding on the road.  We could even add school buses.

Our roads in contrast use seperate signs for all of these issues which really all mean the same thing: slow down, share the space.

The slogan seems to have caught on with a number of Waiheke travel bloggers proudly starting their stories with these signs as the first thing you see.  An entrance to Waiheke if you like.  Imagine crowing about a traffic sign proudly.

Creating a sense of place is one of the strongest things we can to indicate to drivers how they should drive.  So, my only critique would be I don’t think it needs the AT logo or the AT colour.  It should be all about the place.

The Local Board is working on some Roads and Signage guidelines  that are appropriate for our unique road environment in the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area.  Looking forward to it.

by Penny Sparks.