It's been a really interesting few days as negative feedback about the yet-to-be-finished Island Bay cycleway on Facebook culminated in this front page story in today's Dominion Post. The reality of the cycleway actually being implemented seems to have inspired some long-standing critics to have another go and also brought a lot of new critics out of the woodwork. Before we go any further let's be absolutely clear about one thing - people are entitled to their opinions and The Dominion Post is right, there are a lot of confused and angry people in Island Bay at the moment. But I've also had a lot of conversations over the last few days with people who are not confused or angry (at least not about the cycleway) and who have had some interesting observations to make about what's going on here. So here's a slightly random crowd-sourced list of thoughts on the current situation. Some of these are my own, some have come from conversations and some from comments on social media. Opening the cycleway as a work-in-progress definitely has pros and cons. The council were originally going to paint the new parking bays in one go right at the end of the project but then changed their minds. Their thinking was that it would be easier, and less disruptive, to paint the bays a section at a time rather than have to clear all cars off The Parade for two days at the project's end. The other reason was that it would be a kind of "soft launch" and give people a chance to get used to how the new cycleway would work before it officially opens. That's all fair and reasonable but the downside has been that the cycleway has been unofficially opened as a work-in-progress and there's no doubt that has negatively affected many people's perceptions of it. Confusion and anger are perfectly natural human emotions but they will dissipate over time as people get used to the new layout. It has been quite remarkable, however, how many people are prepared to pass judgement on the success or failure of the cycleway when it isn't even finished. One friend said "I can't wait for the follow-up article on the half-completed seawall pointing out how dangerous it is for kids to play on and how it is doing a crap job of keeping the sea back". The reality is that it will take at least a year to properly assess whether the cycleway is successful. The Island Bay Cycleway Working Party recommended that a full evaluation be held 12 months after it officially opens. There are some constructive and informed criticisms on Facebook but they are few and far between. A lot of the negative feedback is just the same old anti-cycling vitriol that can safely be ignored. The scale of the feedback seems scary at first until you remember that we only have about 5% mode share for cycling in Wellington so of course there will be a disproportionate amount of negativity. In a sense this just reinforces the size and scale of the problem that needs to be tackled. This isn't a war on motorists (I am also a motorist) but we simply can't manage any more cars and roads in Wellington. A significant chunk of the rest of the feedback focuses on perceived issues with the cycleway itself but largely lacks any context or appreciation of the bigger picture, as per the Wellington Cycling Master Plan & Framework. There are some legitimate concerns about aspects of the implementation but very little acknowledgement that any re-allocation of space for transportation necessarily involves trades-offs. If you're only focused on what's happening at the end of your driveway then of course you only see downside. But there is also an upside and just because you don't value it doesn't mean that nobody else does. The most important question is whether there's a net benefit for the community overall. Luckily, in a representative democracy we don't make important policy decisions, especially those involving transport and safety, by popular vote. There are some very legitimate, but relatively minor, concerns about things like the mobility parking outside the medical centre and the visibility backing out of some driveways. I agree that the mobility parks are a bit of a stuff up. The paint job suggests that the driver needs to get out straight into traffic and if you've got mobility issues that's obviously a problem. The council clarified that users can actually park anywhere in that zone that they like, so they can leave themselves more space on the right if needed. The council should re-do the paint job to make that clear however. I don't think it would be a big problem for people on bikes if cars actually parked pretty much right up against the cycleway as long as passengers are careful getting out. And has anybody actually asked the Medical Centre why they can't make more parking available for their customers around the back? Here's a thought - if the Medical Centre and whoever owns the building next door (where Brew'd and South End Motors are) were to remove the fence between them and operate a single shared driveway they could create significant extra parking on either side of it for those businesses. Residents who have visibility issues coming out of driveways should talk to the council and see if anything can be done, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. If extra care needs to be taken then so be it. This isn't just some minor suburban stoush over parking. The Island Bay cycleway is part of a $54m network to be rolled out in Wellington over the next 10 years with significant funding coming from central government. Attitudes to cycling are rapidly changing at the highest levels. Earlier this year while announcing a $333m package of urban cycleways in cities across New Zealand the Chief Executive of NZTA said "Put simply, cycling is good for our cities, it’s good for the environment and it’s good for our health." More recently, while announcing that NZTA now has authority status under the Resource Management Act to apply to local authorities to set aside land specifically for cycleways Environment Minister Nick Smith said "cycleways, just like motorways, railways or transmissions lines and telecommunications cables are critical modern infrastructure in the 21st century.” One of the major themes in the feedback is that The Parade is now "too narrow" for cars and "dangerous". There's no doubt that The Parade is now narrower for moving cars than it was but the lanes are still a completely standard 3.0m wide. That's consistent with the vast majority of roads around Wellington. In fact, compared to a lot of Wellington roads it's generous. You can't even drive to Island Bay without using roads that are at least as narrow and in some cases narrower. Also, the lanes for cars were actually always this width. What's now missing is the "bike lane" to the left and the median strip to the right. There seems to be a tacit admission in complaints about the "narrowing" of the lanes that drivers have always considered these spaces to be theirs to enjoy as they please. That's an interesting point of view and one that actually feeds into the justification for a separated cycleway. At the end of the day the new car lanes on The Parade are not narrow at all, they are just different and people just need time to adjust to that. Here's a novel idea. If The Parade's new layout really is too narrow then maybe it's parked cars that are the problem? After all, roads are for mobility right? Only a small amount of on-street parking was removed from The Parade to make way for the cycleway (around 10%) so maybe that needs to be revisited. Removing parking from one side of the road would create a lot more space. Just about every residential property on The Parade already has off-street parking and on the western side the residents also have a 3.0m strip of road reserve between their boundaries and the pavement which many of them use for parking. It's fair to ask just how much parking a house actually needs and the extent to which rate-payers should subsidise that with the free storage of private property on public land, especially when that land is an important arterial transport route. The solution to the perceived narrowness of The Parade could be in the hands of the residents themselves. It's already evident that the new traffic calming measures on The Parade are having a positive impact. The perceived narrowness of the road contributes to that and forces people to drive at a sensible speed. There's been claims that two buses can't pass each other but I haven't witnessed that and I suspect that's more down to the drivers themselves getting used to the new layout. Buses are certainly forced to slow down a bit, but that's actually a good thing (not that most of our bus drivers aren't already great). There's more traffic calming to come too with the addition of four new pedestrian crossings. A lot of people are also concerned that the new bike lanes themselves are dangerous. The main concern seems to be either a person on a bike getting "doored" or a passenger getting out of a car and getting hit by a someone on a bike. I wonder how many of the people expressing these concerns have already tried riding the new lanes? They are great. You immediately feel safer and more protected than out on the road. I would never have let my 7 and 9 year old boys ride along The Parade next to moving cars, trucks and buses before but I will happily let them ride these new lanes. It's really nice to hear how concerned some opponents are about my kids health though (we have an obesity epidemic in this country by the way. You'd be doing more good picketing shops selling fizzy drinks). The lanes are wide enough to completely avoid getting "doored" but even if it did somehow happen I would rather it was on the kerbside than on the road. I also don't believe that passengers are in any danger at all. Most people on bikes won't be going that fast and a little courtesy and common-sense should avoid any problems. If someone on a bike is being a dick they will get sorted out, probably via shaming by their fellow cyclists. Another theme in the feedback has been to highlight the lack of cycling related accidents on The Parade before now. This completely misses the point of urban cycleways which is primarily to get more people riding bikes than currently do. Making people who already ride bikes safer is great of course but that's only a secondary aim. This is all explained in the Wellington Cycling Master Plan & Framework . If you're really keen check out the Near Miss Project. Researchers at The University of Westminster found that it's actually the far more frequent 'near miss' that puts people of cycling, rather than actual accidents. Creating physical separation between bikes and moving traffic is a crucial part of altering people's perceptions of how safe cycling is and enabling more uptake, which in turn unlocks the full range of health, environmental and social benefits. When you only have 5% mode share for cycling of course accident stats are low. The vast majority of people are not even prepared to take the risk. A few other tired old myths also reared their heads this week such as "cyclists don't pay for the roads". It's not true, as explained in this article. Something else that isn't true is the rumour that the reason the cycleway now stops at Dee Street is because the council has "blown the budget". This is crap. The reason it now stops at Dee Street is because of the retention of the Dee Street roundabout, which wasn't originally the plan but was a recommendation of the Island Bay Cycleway Working Party. Retaining the roundabout means that people on bikes would have to merge back into traffic approaching the roundabout then go back onto the cycleway after the roundabout and then merge back into traffic about 50m down the road. The council consulted both island Bay Cycle Way and Cycle Aware Wellington on this and everybody agreed that finishing Stage 1 of the cycleway at Dee Street made more sense because one merge is better than two. Simple. Kids travelling on bikes to Wakefield Park will probably need to dismount and cross Dee Street on foot just like they always have. A minor inconvenience but much safer. So what should the council do now? They should definitely listen to individual residents with specific concerns and see if they can resolve them. They should also roll out some more education and communications to coincide with the official opening and make sure everybody is clear on the best etiquette for using the cycleway and interacting with it on foot or in a car. Most importantly, however, they need to keep going, not just in Island Bay but across Wellington. They need to finish the Island Bay Cycleway to the highest standard possible and then use all these lessons elsewhere. They need to recognise that there will always be backlash against decent cycling infrastructure and if you don't get backlash then your infrastructure probably isn't good enough. If they back down now on any element of the cycleway then the Wellington Cycling Master Plan & Framework becomes unimplementable. Not only will they not be following their own policy they will enable every NIMBY in Wellington and create a precedent that if you just make enough noise you can overturn years of policy development, due process and decisions made by democratically elected representatives. They will also create a major point of friction with central government and put Wellington even further behind Auckland and Christchurch than we already are in implementing an important component of a becoming a modern, smart, liveable city. That's it from Island Bay Cycle Way for the year, apart from maybe the odd retweet. We'll see you all again in the New Year and look forward to watching the cycleway slowly settle into its surroundings. This cycleway under the beautiful pohutukawa has the potential to be a real taonga for our suburb. Happy holidays everyone.
26 Comments
Kerry Wood
23/12/2015 01:10:37 pm
Excellent article: it has been recommended on Auckland's transportblog today. Well done.
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Nigel Hefford
23/12/2015 05:22:21 pm
I ride my bike down the Parade at 40 - 50 km/h with a tailwind. Am I meant to mix it with pedestrians, cars reversing out of driveways, parked cars whose passenger doors can fly open unexpectedly, dogs and prams on the cycleway or on the road which is now a lot more narrow? Take a nice wide street, safe for cyclists and wreck it by expecting cyclist to use a footpath making the footpath unsafe for pedestrians. Spend millions or dollars in the process.
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Maria van der Meel
27/12/2015 12:14:18 am
To Nigel and what about the hundreds of scooters in Island Bay? Not to mention skate boarders who are according to the Land Transport Act allowed on the road and a WCC by-law on the footpath,you will be mixing with a lot more than you think.
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Regan
12/1/2016 02:32:20 pm
Hi Nigel, thanks for your comment. You make some interesting points. The target market for the cycleway is not so much existing cyclists but people who would like to ride a bike but don't currently feel safe or comfortable doing that alongside cars, trucks and buses (including children). So yes, it will involve some compromises for cyclists like yourself to achieve this. Pedestrians, cars reversing from driveways, doors being opened and unexpected obstructions are all things that people on bikes deal with on the road on a daily basis anyway but now the potential consequences of an incident are much less severe.
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23/12/2015 07:57:02 pm
Island Bay Cycle Way - a great initiative that now needs bedding down, and any improvements followed up on in one year's time.
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Maria van der Meel
5/1/2016 12:54:34 pm
Dear Councillor from where I am sitting the overseas experience tells me that riding ones bike on the footpath is illegal, here in Island Bay cyclists ride the footpath by design? Some driveways now have a cycle way on the footpath and thereafter another on the road please tell me where you have seen this anywhere in the world?
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David Leslie
24/12/2015 11:41:35 am
Is it really necessary for the writer say that people are talking crap? I have had a near miss from a cyclist as I exited a bus. Who gives way...the cyclist or pedestrian? Victoria st signage says cyclists must give way to people alighting at a bus stop. What is the rule in island bay because at the moment it seems that cyclists have right of way over pedestrians. I just hope that injury is not the cause for revisiting this road layout earlier than 12 months.
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Regan
12/1/2016 01:27:02 pm
Hi David, when people are spreading a rumour that is false without first checking the facts then yes, it is necessary to say they are talking crap. On the give way question as a general rule the person on a bike has priority if they are on the cycleway. The council will be publishing more education around this, however, and may even put up signage to make the priority at certain points explicit. I expect common sense to win the day. If I am riding my bike and someone is temporarily blocking the cycleway for some reason then I'm happy to give way and will never be going fast enough for this to be a problem. This is exactly how people on bikes already manage themselves around other parts of the city where shared spaces exist.
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David Leslie
12/1/2016 04:18:58 pm
Thanks for your reply. my concern was raised not only by my experience but also by a bike versus pedestrian incident on the shared area at the waterfront late last year where a woman received a concussion and a broken wrist after being struck from behind by a young cyclist. I am still not convinced that the bus bypass system employed in Island Bay is the safest way to go. Your assurance the Bikes have right of way only makes me more uneasy. Most pedestrians would say that when they are on a footpath, that they have right of way and, as you say, cyclists must move slowly over these areas for just that reason.
Warren Hall
12/1/2016 10:24:45 pm
Hi Regan - Your comment above has now confused me about the give way rule on the pedestrian crossing bypasses. Do you think that a child or sight impaired person who is exiting a pedestrian crossing and then needs to cross the bypass should be able to gauge the distance away and speed of an oncoming cyclist and stop for them. The NZTA makes it very clear that they are very unlikely to be able to do this. I think that the same principles that apply regarding the interaction when motor vehicles and cyclists mix should also apply between cyclists and pedestrians i.e. the rule should be that the faster mover should stay well clear of and give way to the slower and more vulnerable party. What do you think?
Vanessa Rosti
14/1/2016 02:41:03 pm
Ok - there have already been accidents on this cycleway - car has been rear ended coming out of drive way on The Parade near Tamar Street. A elderly man has spent Christmas in hospital with a broken hip. All road users are being put at risk - The Sick and elderly are having problems getting to the doctors due to lack of car parks and the disabled parks not very well planned at for those who are meant to use them - Truck and bus drivers are nervous. Supply goods vans are not enjoying it too much either - having no place to park for dropping off supplies to local business - Just ask. Have some sort of sympathy people - its a scaring place to be. As scary as Manners Mall in fact. You have really got to try at various areas on The Parade getting in and out - Saw a lady just about take out a cyclist and you want to put the nervous cyclist in the mix, come on buddy, step away from your keyboard and really start to ask locals, put yourself in their shoes, door knock look on the other side for a change. It might help re-build this community.
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Regan
15/1/2016 11:40:01 am
Hi Vanessa, I'm using the cycleway every day (and driving along The Parade a fair amount too) so I'm well aware of all the issues and have every sympathy with the people affected by them (and am very sad to hear of the two accidents). I agree that the council should be moving quickly to fix or mitigate as many of those issues as possible. However, we can't forget that the cycleway is not finished yet and we are all still in a transitional stage. As the infrastructure is completed and people get used to the changes things will get better. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the recent residents association meeting but I hope to get along to the next one so maybe see you there. Cheers
Warren Hall
15/1/2016 11:59:01 am
Hi Regan
Regan
15/1/2016 01:15:58 pm
Hi Warren, that resolution sounds totally sensible to me. The council should be working to fix or mitigate as many issues as possible as quickly as possible, although as I said to Vanessa above I suspect some residents want to go back to the old design which I wouldn't agree with. You're right that a lot of the issues should be relatively easy to fix though and yes, the blacking out of the old markings is not up to scratch. Sorry, I didn't realise I hadn't answered your other question. In general I would agree with you that the faster (and bigger) party should give way. The only caveat would be that we don't want pedestrians walking along the by-passes or standing in them. If they are just crossing the by-pass then I don't see a problem with cyclists giving way and that's already what I am doing. I'm also not convinced by the pedestrian crossing by-passes. I'm not sure they are necessary and they are also not consistent - some crossings have them and some don't. The cycleway isn't finished yet so its hard to tell but they might be something that needs to be looked at. I think it would be reasonable to expect cyclists to slow down or stop for all pedestrian crossings just as they would on the road. That's just my view and others may feel differently. Cheers.
Sonja Mitchell
24/12/2015 12:09:05 pm
Thanks for this informative article. I'm happy that everyone, and kids and families in particular, will soon be able to cycle around Island Bay much more safely. Hopefully more people will jump on bikes and see what a fun way it is to get around.
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Joe
27/12/2015 11:56:37 pm
Love how you dismiss hundreds of complaints with a "I haven't seen that"
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Regan
12/1/2016 01:40:30 pm
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment. My comment that "I haven't witnessed that" relates specifically to the claim that two buses can't get past each other - something that I still haven't seen, while I have seen buses able to pass each other on numerous occasions. If there have been hundreds of complaints about that specific issue I'm surprised we haven't heard more about it. The buses certainly pass much closer than before but that seems like very efficient use of the available space to me. If there are pinch points that are a problem I expect the council and NZ Bus to very quickly sort it out.
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Maria van der Meel
15/1/2016 01:58:58 pm
An Environment Court Ruling dated the 15th of April 2010 in made by Judge Thompson (para 38) in relation to the Manners Mall conversion was the legal bus width to be 2.98 meters including wing mirrors and whta Council needs to cater for. The bus lanes on the Parade which I measured at 2.90 then forces buses to slow down while passing each other in order to not smash their wing mirrors.
Rosco
28/12/2015 04:04:41 pm
For the price, probably should have had better intersection designs for the cycleway, and green pigment or paint to make it stand out more when it gets close to the road.
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Regan
12/1/2016 01:45:11 pm
Hi Rosco, the cycleway isn't finished yet so there's definitely more paint to come. I also understand that digging up the kerb would have added considerably more expense to the project. However, it would be nice to think that this might be option if there are specific pinch points that need to be addressed once it's all finished. Cheers.
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Alison Adams-Smith
2/1/2016 09:56:20 pm
I do not live in Wellington, although I did when the cycle way was being planned. I am writing my comment for another reason. It is about how this article reads - it is all about saving Island Bay residents from themselves. It is very patronizing towards any disputers who find fault with the cycle way. As soon as I saw the quote: "Luckily, in a representative democracy we don't make important policy decisions, especially those involving transport and safety, by popular vote.", I knew the writer was biased. These are exactly the sort of decisions which SHOULD be taken by democratic vote, particularly as we are talking about only 5% of the population which is being made an expensive special case of. As such a small minority wanting to change the attitudes of the majority, a word of advice: You catch more flies with honey. As to the risk of 'dooring', I personally knew a man in Dunedin who swerved to miss an open car door and was run over by a bus. He died. The risk may be tiny, but the outcome of an accident is catastrophic - kind if like Chernobyl.
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Regan
12/1/2016 02:05:18 pm
Hi Alison, thanks for your feedback. The blog is a mish-mash of comments and observations from a number of different Island Bay residents, although I personally agree with most of it. This is a website that supports the cycleway so, yes, there is some bias although we try to be as objective as possible within those parameters. Very sorry to hear about your friend in Dunedin. The situation you describe is of course one of the key reasons to create a separated cycleway like the one in Island Bay. The risk is very small but nobody wants to wait for a serious accident to be the catalyst for change. If someone gets doored (or swerves to avoid a dooring) on the kerbside the potential consequences are far less serious. Just as importantly, separation from traffic changes people's perceptions of how safe and comfortable riding a bike is, which should get more people riding. Cheers.
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Alison Adams-Smith
3/1/2016 03:33:37 pm
Why has my comment not been published? I guess you only want to show those comments which support you? How can there be free and frank debate if you do this? Or perhaps you don't want such debate? You cannot force people to do just what you want, however you skew the story. People want the whole truth. You will not win this way.
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Regan
12/1/2016 02:07:53 pm
Hi Alison, I was away on a few weeks holiday over Christmas with limited access to internet. All comments received over that period have now been published. Cheers.
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Marley
15/1/2016 02:07:08 pm
Just want to leave a quick comment. There are a number of problems with the new cycle way (I live on the Parade) and very little to non existent pros in my opinion. But the following is one that is really bugging me lately.
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Brendon Bonner
28/1/2016 04:20:42 pm
What a load of pro-bike PR spin. Your ABOUT says "Island Bay Cycle Way is a very loose organisation of Island Bay residents".
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