Compromise solution proposed

Mayor Justin Lester held a press conference this morning and proposed a compromise solution for the Island Bay Cycleway. The proposal is similar to the proposal put forward by council officers on Friday but with a few more tweaks. It looks like a pragmatic, sensible solution that carefully balances the differing views and needs of a variety of stakeholders.

Here's the video of the press conference:

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​Here's the full media release from the council:

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Solution for Island Bay Cycleway launched

A compromise solution for the layout of The Parade will be proposed by Wellington City Councillors this week.

The proposed new layout (2MB) will have a dedicated cycleway between the footpath and the kerb at the same height, with cars once again parking up against the kerb. 

The lanes on the road will be widened to 3.5 metres in each direction, and unmarked car parking will be restored along the length of The Parade.

“This is a common-sense solution that will improve the Parade for everyone,” Mayor Justin Lester said.

“It will mean the lanes on The Parade will be widened, the cycleway comes off the road, drivers will park against a fixed kerb and car parks will be saved.

“The outcome is a safer, separated cycleway, wider lanes on the road, and car parking available for residents and shoppers.”

The Council’s Walking, Cycling and Public Transport Portfolio Leader, Councillor Sarah Free, said the solution was informed by more than 3700 public submissions and discussions Councillors had at the drop-in sessions held in Island Bay earlier this year.

“There was a real diversity of opinion from the public – it was clear people weren’t anti-cycling but for a lot of people the current design simply wasn’t working. People wanted something that was safer, that gave drivers and buses more room to manoeuvre and that protected car parking, especially for local businesses. This solution achieves all of those goals.

“We will also make further safety improvements to reduce the cycling speed on the cycleway, be removing speed humps that were scraping against buses, and restoring angled car parking by the medical centre.

The new option would cost $4.1 million and be paid for out of existing council budgets, meaning no new rates money would be needed. A further $2 million will be set aside to reseal the road once the project is completed, and for contingencies.

Deputy Mayor Paul Eagle said the solution would make the Parade much better.

“People in Island Bay absolutely love their suburb, and they’re proud of The Parade. This solution sees the beautiful wide lanes restored, and the cycleway off the road. As an Island Bay resident, I’m thrilled.

“This has been a very long saga and it’s great we’ve got something that will work and that finds a good balance for most people. Not everyone will be happy, but I think most people will see we’ve done the best job possible of coming up with something that works.”

The option will be proposed as an amendment at Wednesday’s Council Meeting. If adopted, installation of the new layout will begin in early 2018. With this solution, the new design will include:

• Widening the residential carriageway to 3.5m in each direction
• A 500mm median strip in the middle of the road in the residential section
• The cycleway comes off the road, and cars will again park against the hard kerb
• Retention of the existing planted berm width on the western side of the residential area
• Maintaining both car parks and outdoor dining space through the shopping centre
• Traffic lanes increased to 3.2m width in the shopping centre
• The cycleway will be painted a different colour so as to be visually distinct and will include safety measures to reduce cycling speeds. This could include rumble strips to reduce speed, as well as suggested speed limit for cyclists communicated through signage to keep speeds down
• An education campaign will be launched to encourage cyclists to reduce their speed, and to be courteous of other users
• Unmarked car parking restored across the residential areas
• Car parks to be restored by dairys
• Raised platforms to improve safety at intersections on side streets
• Angle parking restored by the Island Bay Medical Centre
• Removal of speed cushions and lowering pedestrian crossing in shopping centre.
• A full reseal of The Parade to remove ghost markings
• The City Council to work with Greater Wellington Regional Council to relocate the following bus stops: Relocating the current stop from 88 The Parade to 64 The Parade near Tamar St. Relocating the current stop from 101 The Parade to 73 The Parade near Tamar St. Relocating the current stop on the west side of The Parade at Humber Street across to the departure side (north side) of the intersection
• The pedestrian crossing by The Empire Theatre retained in its current location. The safe walk to school crossing has been moved south, with a relocation of the bus stop and kerbside parking. The pedestrian crossing at Humber Street and Dee Street will be reviewed during detailed design

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​Here's the cross-section of the proposal: