First section of cycleway open!

11/12/2015

The first section of the cycleway - on the western side of The Parade between Avon and Tamar Streets - was open and in use this morning. First impressions are very good. It is very smooth and certainly feels wider than anticipated. It makes an immediate, positive difference to be cycling away from the traffic. Local residents also seem to have adapted brilliantly to the new parking arrangements. At least a dozen cars were parked in the new spaces without any encroachment into the cycleway.

Here's a few photos (note the lady with her passenger door open, barely obstructing the cycleway at all):

This is very much still a work in progress, however. It is a big change and everybody will need to take extra care for a while. Until the cycleway is fully completed there are a few tricky transitions for cyclists from the road to the cycleway and then back to the road. Drivers will also need to watch out for cyclists merging back into traffic.

Apart from that, get down there and check it out! It's a great opportunity to get used to how it works before the project is officially finished. The completed sections are absolutely fine for kids to ride along but I would not recommend letting them go past the end of the completed sections yet.

With a little bit of courtesy and common sense on all sides there should be no issues. Remember that just because something is the way it is at the outset doesn't necessarily mean it has to stay that way. If you have any issues or you think there are aspects of the cycleway that could be tweaked to make it work better let us know via this website or contact the council directly.

9 Comments

Louise Greco

10/12/2015 05:08:46 pm

There is no safe buffer for drivers opening their doors onto the roadway. This is especially needed by the disability carparks by the doctors. These drivers take longer to get out of their cars and don't want to be panicked by cars.

Regan

11/12/2015 11:45:05 am

Hi Louise, I would contact transport@wcc.govt.nz with your feedback about the mobility parks, they may be able to do something.

Ron Beernink

10/12/2015 09:31:46 pm

Looks fantastic. How exciting!

Jeremy

12/12/2015 05:06:25 pm

Looks great! Time for obese kiwis to get peddling in safety!

Nick Crerar

12/12/2015 10:36:14 pm

My first impressions are the mayor wants to get to work and back quicker. No thought to other residents of island bay. There has never been a serious accident involving cyclists in over 15 years in Island bay, mark my words some driver or passenger will end up injured or dead over this stupid decision. You note in your piece that there is plenty of space on passenger side for a cyclist to pass but NO space for the driver to get into their car safely on the road side or any children to exit the car on the curbside safely. PATHETIC !

Sally S

14/12/2015 11:48:35 am

I understand your concerns Nick but please consider this:

1. This has nothing to do with where the Mayor lives. The route from Island Bay into the CBD just happens to be one of the key commuter routes in Wellington. It is also the No. 1 bus route, for example, and that wasn't the Mayor's decision either.

2. Accident stats are only one small part of the justification for implementing protected cycleways. If people don't want to ride bikes because their perception is that it isn't safe then of course accident stats are low. The evidence shows that protected cycleways get more people riding bikes because they have a positive impact on the perception of how safe it is.

3. I agree that The Parade is now narrower for cars than it was but it is still not narrow by Wellington standards. Not even close. There is no basis for you to say someone will be injured or killed when this road is still no riskier than many others in Wellington.

4. I took a ride on part of the cycleway on the weekend (have you?). I passed at least one resident with their passenger door wide open and there was plenty of room. There will be no problems between people on bikes and people getting out of cars as long as the people on bikes aren't going stupidly fast.

This is a change that will take people a little time to get used to and it does involve a few trade-offs but just give it a chance please. There really is very little basis for you to make such negative comments.

Phil

14/12/2015 01:46:29 pm

Have to agree with Sally. The cycleway roadworks aren't even finished yet so it's a bit early to rush to judgement. Let's face it drivers on The Parade have had it pretty good for a long time, using the median strip to overtake a bus or chuck a u-turn, or opening a door into the current bike lanes without looking. The Parade will still be a perfectly good road for driving after these changes are made and there's nothing wrong with expecting people to change their behaviour a little bit in order to make it work. I think the new bike lanes look great.

Peter

14/12/2015 03:32:32 pm

Adelaide Road has a tiny gap between parked cars and moving vehicles, and a 50km/h speed limit, and I am not aware of any complaints about motorists getting out of cars into traffic. People exit when no vehicle is passing. Island Bay car users will eventually adjust well to these road changes. Anyway, the construction is complete in February, so people should judge from February and later, not now.

15/12/2015 08:18:05 am

We want our Tamar Street bus stop back!! Can't believe we just lost it without any notice.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

First section of cycleway open!

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