Tips for using the cycleway

23/3/2016

Wellington City Council has just released some useful guidance on using the cycleway:

"With the cycleway and related work on The Parade just about completed, we’d like to extend a big thank you to all Island Bay residents for your patience over the past few months.

We are very aware that the cycleway is a new arrangement and a significant change to The Parade – especially for residents, business people and others who use the route regularly.

We are continuing to monitor how motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are adjusting to the new road layout.

To help everyone adjust to the new road layout, here are a few tips.

Bus bypasses are a shared space
Cyclists slow for bus bypasses - pedestrians crossing

Driveways
Drivers - let pedestrians and people on bikes go first unless you need to pause on the cycle lane
Cyclists - slow and give way if vehicles are over the cycle lane

Parking
Drivers - please park in the marked spaces. The broken white line shows the door buffer zone

Exiting passenger side of cars
Passengers - check before opening your door
Cyclists - slow down for people crossing the cycleway"

We think these are good messages based on common sense and courtesy. Although people on bikes have priority in the cycleway there are legitimate reasons why other users will be temporarily crossing or blocking the cycleway at times. People on bikes may need to occasionally slow down or even stop when that happens. Other road users also need to respect the rights of people on bikes to use the cycleway and try to keep any obstruction of the cycleway to a minimum.

What do you think of this guidance? Does it make sense? Is there anything that has been missed out? Let us know in the comments below.

Regan.

7 Comments

Cate Shave

22/3/2016 05:08:51 pm

Do cyclists have to use the bus bypasses if there is no bus actually stopped at the time - or can they just carry on on the actual road? Also, are people allowed to park on the diagonal white lines (between the cycleway and the kerb) that have been marked at the corners of some of the intersections? (eg. cnr of Tamar St & The Parade)

Regan

22/3/2016 07:10:14 pm

Great questions Cate.

People on bikes don't have to use the bus bypass if the bus stop is clear - you can ride straight through if you want to. It's a good idea to check over your shoulder first though - a bus coming up behind you will probably be going faster.

Cars should not be parking in the hatched areas (the diagonal white lines). Those areas are meant to be kept clear so there is sufficient visibility at intersections and merging into shared areas. Hopefully the council will start enforcing this soon and there's always the option of bollards or something similar if the problem persists.

Flavia

22/3/2016 08:35:47 pm

What about preference in intersections? If a cyclist is going straight and a driver wants to turn. Who has the preference? What is the best way to check for cyclist in this cases.

22/3/2016 10:51:59 pm

Hi Flavia,

A person on a bike going straight through an intersection definitely has priority over turning traffic. A motorist turning left across the cycleway should be scanning the cycleway as they approach the intersection. They should then check their rear view mirror, left hand side mirror and a quick look over their left shoulder before turning.

Kitty

23/3/2016 11:34:49 am

When turning into a driveway and a large vehicle is parked you cannot see a cyclist riding, particularly smaller children. How is a motorist suppose to mitigate risk? All care taken but your bonnet reaches the cycle way before you can see a cyclist. What are the road rules in this this situation?

23/3/2016 04:54:30 pm

Hi Kitty,

The key is to be scanning the cycleway for people on bikes for the 50m or so before you get to your driveway. There are plenty of gaps between the parked cars (e.g. where there are other driveways) so if you don't see any people on bikes then when you get to your own driveway you can be pretty confident that there are no bikes coming. You should still follow the road code at that point which is:

"If you are turning left into another street or driveway:
- stay in the left-turn lane or keep to the left side of the road
- slow down before you turn
- check your mirrors and your blind spot (important!)
- signal for at least three seconds
- turn when safe."

If you are going slowly enough then even though you don't have perfect visibility down the cycleway a person on a bike (if you somehow didn't see them) should still be able to see you and react in time.

I just checked a map of the The Parade that has the new layout and along the whole street there are only 9 driveways that have 3 or more adjacent parking spaces immediately preceding the driveway. That means there is actually decent visibility of the cycleway as you approach most driveways. Also, a lot of parking spaces are empty a lot of the time, which mitigates the issue even further.

This is obviously a change that takes a bit of getting used to but it really isn't that much different a problem to pulling out of a driveway under the old layout. In that scenario people on bikes are now much more visible.

Andrew Carman

5/4/2016 01:06:49 am

Perhaps the WCC guidance should include a reminder, to people driving cars, that they must give way to people riding on the cycleway exactly as they would to those riding on the road. I have heard people seriously suggesting that the rules apply as if people on the cycleway were on the footpath, and therefore lacking right of way when going through intersections. The rules need to be clarified for these people.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Tips for using the cycleway

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