Auckland City Council
Media release

Tuesday, 2 December

Shark Attack!

As the streets fill with shoppers and tourists and the Christmas party season gets underway, Auckland City Council is reminding pedestrians and motorists to take care as they move about the city this summer.

A trompe L’oeil artist will be transforming busy street corners into shark-infested waters and other death-defying scenes as a way of reminding pedestrians that navigating busy roads takes concentration and good judgement.

Pedestrians are vulnerable road users as they have little protection if they are involved in a crash. A quarter of those killed or seriously injured in Auckland city crashes are pedestrians and our busy CBD accounts for the top five road crash black spots.

“Acting safely around roads and traffic is important for all age groups, not just children.” says Councillor John Lister, Transport Committee deputy chairperson.

“These exciting and colourful artworks will encourage people to stop, look and think before they step into danger.”

The council will also focus on motorists as the Christmas party season and end of year celebrations get underway. Activity in and around offices, bars, clubs and car parks will remind people to think before they drink and consider how they will get home.

“We want people to come to the CBD and have a good time, but we also want people to act responsibly and get home in one piece at the end of the night, and that means not driving if you have had a drink. It’s about planning to get home safely,” says Mr Lister.

The council’s road safety team aims to achieve a high level of safety on our roads for all users and undertakes awareness and education campaigns throughout the year. Recent activity includes the ‘Hey! We’re all on the same road’ project which supported ARTA’s Share the Road campaign to improve safety for cyclists and encourage all road users to share with care.

The road safety team are also responsible for the planning, design, construction and development of a sustainable and safe transport network. This includes work such as the introduction of 40km/h school speed zones that make it easier and safer for children to walk to school, the installation of pedestrian crossing countdown clocks in the CBD and improved pedestrian facilities on Queen Street.

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