Wellington City Council have put some new information on their Island Bay Parade Upgrade website about the work that is going on along The Parade:

"Changes will be made to every bus stop in Island Bay during the upgrade, as ramps and cycle bypasses are installed. We will also be making changes where new crossings are installed and at intersections.
 
These will involve changes to the kerbline. Machinery will be used to dig up the edge of the road and the edge of the footpath, and lay new concrete kerbs.

While the work is happening, barrier fences will be erected outside residential properties around the work sites for safety reasons. In some cases these will block drives, garages and gateways during work hours. Access will be restored after work finishes for the day.

During the day, the contractors are happy to move the fences to provide vehicle access. They will watch for people coming in or out. However, if they are busy and don't notice, please give them a toot or ask - they will be happy to help. 
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There will be a few hours when the new kerb is being poured, when it won't be possible to provide vehicle access. Affected property owners will be advised before this happens so they can leave vehicles on the street."

You can read the previous update about the work going on in the shopping centre here.

Please remember to support all the businesses along The Parade over this time, particularly the ones who are directly affected by having work happening in front of their shops and/or losing parking. If we can pull together as a community to get through some temporary disruption the end result will be well worth it!

​You can read more about the anticipated impact of the cycleway on local businesses here.

Local favourite Brew'd is one of the Island Bay businesses that will be most affected by the new cycleway. Brew'd is in a group of businesses just south of the intersection with Medway Street (including Island Bay Stationers, The Original Thai and Island Bay Medical Centre) who currently have nine angle parks and one mobility park directly outside. After the cycleway is implemented this will reduce to three parallel parks and two mobility parks. 

I recently had a chat with Helena Gill, the manager of Brew'd, and was pleased to find that they have a really positive attitude towards the changes. Helena explained that while the debate about the cycleway was still going on they tried to stay as neutral as possible, which seems to be a common theme among many of the businesses on The Parade. Once the council made the decision to go ahead, however, Brew'd decided to be as positive as they can about embracing the change and taking advantage of the opportunity that the cycleway presents. Brew'd wants to make itself as bike-friendly as possible and are even investigating whether they can get some bike racks. The construction work has presented a few challenges but Helena says that overall it seems to be going well and the communication from the council about what's happening has been good. Like the other businesses around the shopping village they are happy that the work in that area will be completed well before the Christmas period.

The cycleway undeniably presents some challenges and will be a change for some of the businesses along The Parade but it's great to see that Brew'd are being so positive and open-minded about what the change can mean for them. Make sure you get down there and support them, especially while the construction work is still going on. Cheers!

You can read more about how local businesses will be affected by the cycleway here.

Get in touch with Brew'd at: http://islandbay.brewd.co.nz

Wellington City Council have put some more information on their Island Bay Parade Upgrade website about the work that is going on in the shopping centre over the next four to five weeks:
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"During October and part of November 2015, we will be raising the two existing zebra crossings to footpath height and putting in speed humps (cushions) on either side of each crossing. 

Traffic will be down to one lane at each end of the shopping centre, 9am–4pm, for four to five weeks while this happens. This will mean delays at times.

At peak times, the road through the shops will be two-way.

These particular changes were recommended by the Island Bay Cycleway community working party and are designed to make the shopping centre safer for pedestrians, drivers and people on bikes. They will reinforce the 30km/h speed limit. 

Both crossings will be altered simultaneously – one side of the road at a time starting on the eastern, or library, side. Changes will also be made to the south-bound bus stop near Avon Street.

The work includes:

• digging up and relaying sections of kerbline in these two locations to slightly widen the road
• resealing part of the footpath near the crossings
• removing the existing road surface (in the area of the crossings) one side at a time, putting in boxing, and pouring concrete
• repeating this process on the other side of the road
• repositioning the striped poles (and attached lights)
• removing a tree near the crossing at the south end of the shops and planting a new one outside the library

​In November, once the new raised crossings are in place, the road through the shopping centre will be resealed. We’ll then put in speed humps and new road markings.

The speed humps will be shaped so they can be straddled by buses to ensure a smooth ride. People on bikes will be able to ride past them."

Please remember to support all the retailers in the shopping centre over this time, particularly the ones who are directly affected by having work happening in front of their shops and/or losing parking. If we can pull together as a community to get through some temporary disruption the end result will be well worth it! You can read more about the anticipated impact of the cycleway on local businesses here.