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Wellington City Council have outlined the final four options for the Island Bay Cycleway and reconfiguration of The Parade.
Four options for future configurations of the Island Bay cycleway have been unveiled today (Thursday 27 July) and the community is being asked to make its views known on the different designs. The options have been drawn up following almost a year’s work by local residents, interest groups, traffic engineers and Wellington City Council as part of the ‘Love the Bay’ process that followed controversy and disagreement over the cycleway built along Island Bay’s Parade. Details about the proposed options, including images, will be available on the City Council website from this Saturday 29 July. From Monday 31 July you can give feedback online at wcc.govt.nz/theparade or email your thoughts to [email protected] Wellington’s acting Mayor, Councillor Paul Eagle, is urging Wellingtonians – particularly residents in the Island Bay area – to get involved in the two-week consultation on the options which begins on Monday 31 July. “The Love the Bay process has been a good example of getting the community genuinely involved in important and high-impact decision-making that affects the community. Now it’s time for the wider community to say what they think of the designs.” Councillor Diane Calvert, the City Council’s Community Planning and Engagement Portfolio Leader, share’s Cr Eagle’s views. “Considerable hours of discussion, debate and analysis have led to the final four options up for consultation. They all deserve consideration so we are providing as much detail and clarity as possible for people to have an informed say.” Councillor Sarah Free, the Council’s Public Transport, Cycling and Walking Portfolio Leader, adds the Council has committed to improved cycling facilities across the city and that the new Island Bay options are just part of a “great range of cycling initiatives” that are under way or starting around the city. The four options: The four design options incorporate extensive community engagement, the results of the Love the Bay project, transport engineering practice, NZTA guidelines and Council strategies, including the Urban Growth Plan, Cycling Master Plan and Framework, and Long Term Plan. Option A - roadside cycle lane - original layout with enhancements Option B - one-way Separated kerbside cycleway - road level - current layout with enhancements Option C - one-way separated kerbside cycleway - above road level Option D - one-way separated kerbside cycleway - above road level, with angle parking. Each design summary includes an indicative cost for implementation. These costs are estimates for the purpose of guiding your preference and will be refined once detailed design is completed. The costs reflect community feedback to address safety concerns, environmental considerations, landscaping, and broader urban design opportunities along the length of The Parade. 
Prior to the construction of the Island Bay Cycleway, The Parade south of Medway Street had kerbside parking, a cycle lane next to the parking, and traffic lanes separated by a central flush median. Option A proposes a layout that, as close as safely possible, reflects the original design. Changes have been made to reflect the requirements of the 2016 post-construction safety audit and peer review, and current NZTA and engineering safety guidelines that the original design did not include. It is these requirements that preclude a return to the exact original layout. Changes also extend the cycle treatment along the length north of Medway Street to the Dee Street roundabout, which the original design did not include. No reduction in the current pedestrian footpath width is expected. This option requires the conversion of the angle parking to parallel parking within the shopping area between Medway Street and Avon Street, and removal of the flush median. Removal of some 40 parking spaces in the residential area is designed to address the safety issues identified with visibility and vehicle manoeuvring to and from The Parade at driveways. Within the shopping area, the conversion to parallel parking will remove some 17 spaces in order to support a consistent cycleway design along The Parade. The indicative cost for Option A is $4.1 million. 
This option retains the status quo layout of a kerbside cycleway at road level. Design refinements include a raised concrete traffic island between the cycleway and parked vehicles, parking removal to address safety concerns at driveways, and extension of the cycle treatment along the entire length of The Parade to the Dee Street roundabout. No reduction in the current pedestrian footpath width is expected. Removal of some 40 parking spaces in the residential area is designed to address the safety issues identified with visibility and vehicle manoeuvring to and from The Parade at driveways. This option requires the conversion of the angle parking to parallel parking within the business area between Medway Street and Avon Street, and removal of the flush median. Within the shopping area, the conversion to parallel parking will remove some 17 spaces in order to support a consistent cycleway design along The Parade. The indicative cost for Option B is $5.2 million. 
This option also provides a separated kerbside cycleway, with the cycleway above road level, either at mid-height between the roadway and footpath or at footpath level. A kerb will separate the cycleway vertically from the roadway (and footpath if at mid-height), and horizontal separation for cyclists from parked vehicles is provided by a 1.0m safety strip. Kerbside parking removal to address safety concerns at driveways, and extension of the cycle treatment along the entire length of The Parade to the Dee Street roundabout is proposed. Removal of some 40 parking spaces in the residential area is designed to address the safety issues identified with visibility and vehicle manoeuvring to and from The Parade at driveways. This option results in a reduction in the existing pedestrian footpath width to 2.4m on the west side of the residential area. Within the shopping area, the west side pedestrian footpath reduces to 5.2m width, the east side increases to 3.5m width. This option requires the conversion of the angle parking to parallel parking within the business area between Medway Street and Avon Street, and removal of the flush median. Within the business area, the conversion to parallel parking will remove some 17 spaces in order to support a consistent cycleway design along The Parade. The indicative cost for Option C is $6.0 million. 
This option is similar to Option C, providing a separated kerbside cycleway, with the cycleway above road level, either at mid-height between the roadway and footpath, or at footpath level. A kerb will separate the cycleway vertically from the roadway (and footpath if at mid-height), and horizontal separation for cyclists from parked vehicles is provided by a 900mm safety strip. Kerbside parking removal to address safety concerns at driveways, and extension of the cycle treatment along the entire length of The Parade to the Dee Street roundabout is proposed. Removal of some 40 parking spaces in the residential area is designed to address the safety issues identified with visibility and vehicle manoeuvring to and from The Parade at driveways. This option retains the existing eastern side kerb line and footpath widths. This option results in a reduction in the existing west side pedestrian footpath width to 1.6m, and provision of a 1.0m flush median between traffic lanes within the residential area. Within the business area, the west side pedestrian footpath reduces to 3.4m width, and the majority of the western kerbside angle parking remains between Medway Street and Avon Street. Within the business area, the retention of angle parking, and provision of a consistent cycleway design along The Parade will require the removal of 2 spaces. The indicative cost for Option D is $6.2 million. Where did these designs come from? All of the feedback obtained through the Love the Bay drop in sessions, workshops, and other channels were used to develop a set of design statements describing what is important to the community and how people interact with The Parade. Along with engineering best practice, the design statements were used to develop these design options. The designs retain the status quo with refinements, return to the previous layout with refinements, and introduce two other options. Refinements to the current and previous cycleway designs have been included to address safety and broader urban design ideas arising from engineering practice as well as community input. The high level designs here are intended to convey the general layout of the road. During the community feedback process a number of issues have been raised, including parking, locations of bus stops, and costs for each design. Given their significance, these topics are more fully discussed online at wcc.govt.nz/theparade. Detailed designs for the entire length of The Parade will be developed after the Council decides on an option. What happens next? The results of this consultation will be presented to the City Strategy Committee on 14 September. The Council (Mayor and Councillors) will consider the consultation feedback along with the outcomes of the Love the Bay process, NZTA guidelines, budgetary implications, and council strategy when making their decision. The Council will then agree on the preferred option with the intention for implementation to begin before the end of this year. This will require detailed design and construction plans for the entire length of The Parade. When making changes to road layouts like this, the detailed plans must first be approved by the Council and accompanied by public consultation. The diagram below outlines the indicative timeline to undertake design and construction. Indicative timeline
Go to wcc.govt.nz/theparade to find detailed design reports for each of the options, frequently asked questions, and information about other designs that were considered.
Tell us what you think by 9pm Sunday 13 August. This will be your last opportunity to have a say on your preferred option for The Parade. You can give feedback online at wcc.govt.nz/theparade or email your thoughts to [email protected].
The designs will also be on display at the Love the Bay drop-in shop at 132 The Parade throughout the consultation period (31 July-13 August).
Councillors will be on site at the shop at appointed times if you would like to discuss your preferences with one of them directly. Visit wcc.govt.nz/theparade to see when councillors will be in attendance, frequently asked questions, detailed design reports, or to make an online submission. While we encourage and appreciate comments and discussion on social media, these will not be taken as formal submissions. Please also make a submission online at wcc.govt.nz/theparade or using the enclosed paper form to ensure your view is heard.
You can read or download the consultation document here:
We'll have our own analysis of the four options here after the council have published more detail on the weekend. Regan.
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Everybody is welcome to make a submission on how The Parade should function in the future
This is Ada. Some people say Ada shouldn't be able to make a submission on the Island Bay Cycleway and the future configuration of The Parade because she lives in Palmerston North. Those people are wrong.
Here's the thing - Ada has two adult granddaughters and five great-grandchildren (aged between 5 and 11) living in Island Bay. So is Ada a stakeholder in the cycleway discussion and the Love the Bay process? Of course she is. In fact, you could say she's got a bigger stake than some Island Bay residents. One of the more specious arguments during the Island Bay Cycleway debate has been that only Island Bay residents should get a say in the outcome. This recently manifested itself in a demand from the Island Bay Residents Association, supported by Councillor Paul Eagle, that residents should get a weighted 90 per cent of the 'vote', with 10 per cent going to other Wellington City Council constituents. Aside from the fact that it would be logistically difficult to run a local referendum, and would set a terrible precedent, the example of Ada shows how short-sighted and inappropriate it would be. As the debate rolls on more people, including the council, seem to be beginning to understand that a community isn't defined solely by geographical boundaries but is actually made up of many different communities of place and interest. Communities are often nested within each other and people can live in multiple different communities. In the case of Ada she may not live in the place of Island Bay but she certainly has a legitimate interest in it. As far as I'm concerned you have a legitimate interest in the discussion if any of the following apply to you:
I'm sure there are many more but you get the point. Just about anybody living in Wellington, and many people from further afield, are stakeholders in this discussion.
Are you local? Many different stakeholders have an interest in the cycleway discussion
Thankfully, in the approach to the final consultation just announced by WCC there appears to be no place for any parochialism. In fact, Councillor Diane Calvert, the City Council’s Community Planning and Engagement Portfolio Leader, is keen to emphasise that the consultation submission process is not a vote that will determine the cycleway option result – however it does aim to give the mayor and councillors a good sense of community preferences and feedback on options. “Ultimately my colleagues and I will consider a broad range of information - including feedback from the many different communities interested in the outcome - decide what weight we apply to officers’ recommendations and hold responsibility for the final decision.” So, as a resident of Island Bay, and a freshly minted member of the Island Bay Residents Association (it's true!) I would like to personally invite you to make a submission when the final consultation begins on Monday 31 July. The more submissions there are to help councillors make a fully informed decision the better. The only qualification you need is having an interest and something thoughtful and constructive to say. Submissions close two weeks later on Sunday 13 August. Check back here on 31 July for links etc. Regan.
The end of the Love the Bay process is now in sight. Here's an update from Wellington City Council on what the the final consultation stage will look like.
The end of the process to determine how The Parade should function is now in sight
"A mailout will go out early next week to properties advising of the consultation, its start date and where to access information. The mailout uses the Council’s property database for address information, and includes the areas within a broad triangle of Berhampore, Owhiro Bay, Houghton Bay and of course includes Island Bay. Approximately 4,300 letters will go to occupiers of properties within that area, and approximately 1000 letters will go to ratepayers of properties in the area, but who live outside the area.
A hand delivery to commercial properties will be made, recognising that getting mail to some businesses can be problematic. At the same time the question will be asked of the businesses whether they will want to host submission forms and supporting documents in their business premises. Later next week, media will be provided information which they will use to publish their stories. The Council’s website – wcc.govt.nz/theparade will go live with the supporting information, at this stage planned for Saturday 29 July. An FAQ page will be available, updated as immediately as possible but within 24 hrs. Consultation will open on Monday 31 July, with the Council website (not the Love the Bay website) hosting the consultation. Consultation will run for 2 weeks, closing 9pm, Sunday 13 August 2017. 
The Council website will be the central source of information and we want to encourage its use for information retrieval and making submissions. However we also want to respond to people’s restrictions or preferences on how they want to engage with information and provide feedback so hard copy will also be available. An important point of access to information, is the drop-in shop at 132 The Parade. The options will be on display and an independent contractor (who has not been involved thus far) will staff the shop. Councillors will also be at the shop on a yet to be determined schedule. The shop hours will be: Monday - 4pm to 7pm Tuesday - 11am to 4pm Wednesday - 11am to 7pm Thursday - 9am to 3pm Friday - Closed Saturday - 10am to 4pm Sunday- Closed Hard copies of documentation and a submission box will also be available at the Council Service Centre at 101 Wakefield Street and the Island Bay Community Centre. A site visit by councillors is being planned for the 1st week of consultation. Councillors will be supported by officers and engineers so they can get a fuller understanding of the implications of each option. This visit will not include participation with stakeholders or groups. A facebook event is planned for the 2nd week, of which we are still working through the details. The working party and officers are available to attend stakeholder group meetings on invitation. We are attending a meeting of the Island Bay Residents Association on 31 July, and Cycle Aware meeting on 1 August. We understand there is also interest from other stakeholders – to be worked through. The results of this consultation will be presented to the City Strategy Committee on 14 September 2017. The Council (Mayor and Councillors) will consider the consultation feedback along with the outcomes of the Love the Bay process, NZTA and engineering best practice and guidelines, budgetary implications, and council strategy when making their decision. The Council will then agree on the preferred option with the intention for implementation to begin in spring 2017. Implementation will require detailed design and construction plans for the entire length of The Parade. A traffic resolution and accompanying consultation will also be required before construction can get underway, a process scheduled for late 2017/early 2018. The detailed design phase may also identify quick wins and small improvements that could be implemented before the traffic resolution is agreed by Council. It needs to be reinforced that the consultation submission process is not a vote that will solely determine the outcome – however it does aim to give councillors a good sense of people’s preferences and feedback on options. Ultimately councillors will consider a broad range of information (including feedback from the many different communities interested in the outcome), decide what weight they apply to officers’ recommendations and hold responsibility for the final decision." Please note that Saturday's Dominion Post story Final chance for Wellingtonians to have their say on future of Island Bay cycleway contained numerous errors and contradictory statements by councillors. The information above is correct and has been confirmed in a clarifying media release by WCC Island Bay cycleway consultation: clarifications. |
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