Cyclists up the ante over separate lanes
Frustrated cyclists in two of New Zealand’s biggest cities are upping the ante with authorities over providing adequate cycling lanes.
In Auckland yesterday around 1500 of them broke through a police barrier to gain access on to the Harbour Bridge after a “Liberate the Lane” demonstration.
Demonstrators at Point Erin Park in Auckland. Image credit - Bike Auckland.
The cyclists had earlier been part of a rally at Point Erin Park next to the bridge, calling for the reallocation of one of the bridge lanes for a three month cycle lane trial.
And in Wellington last week an advocacy group created a pop-up bike lane made of plant boxes and temporary posts on Adelaide Road, between Island Bay and Berhampore.
The city council removed the lane over safety concerns but it was reinstalled by the next morning.
.Council contractors remove a DIY protected cycle path in Berhampore, Wellington. Image credit - Twitter: Patrick Morgan.
Barb Cuthbert, from Bike Auckland, says Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency has declined it’s request for a summer trial for a cycle lane over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. But Waka Kotahi says it’s continuing to investigate how that can be achieved.
“This is not as simple as some advocates imply,” Brett Gliddon, general manager of Transport Services at the agency says. “The bridge was not designed for a walking and cycling function and there are genuine safety and wider network issues that need to be worked through.”
Earlier Cuthbert told rally goers the advocacy group was ‘overwhelmed by public frustration about Waka Kotahi’s failure to complete its project for a (cycling) path on the bridge.”
She’s talking about the bridge pathway which is part of the $360 million Northern Pathway, revealed a year ago by the agency. Of the total cost, $240 million is for the bridge and $120m is to extend the pathway to the Akoranga bus station near Northcote.
Artist Paul Roper has conceptualised a bike lane on the western side of the bridge.
Waka Kotahi has said the project’s been delayed due to "significant and complex engineering issues".
Bike Auckland argues that enabling more transport choices for crossing the Waitematā Harbour will encourage many people to swap from their car to cycling reducing wider network congestion.
But the transport agency says there are significant impacts to the wider transport network when lanes of traffic are closed.
“We also need to consider the operational plan of how we will get people on and off the bridge and how any incidents would be managed,” Gliddon said in a statement.
“Make it safe and unmolested ands the riders will come across the harbour bridge in their thousands because the bridge is the missing link that connects this altogether, all those cycle ways around Ak,” rally MC David Slack told rally supporters yesterday.
“Carlovers you will have us out of your hair, we will be gliding along with the wind in ours. We just need a lane.”
The agency says it shares the desire of the walking and cycling community to complete a dedicated facility across the harbour, and it’ll continue to look at how this can be achieved.
In the capital though, Cycle Wellington is celebrating success after the council did a U-turn and signed off on fast-tracking cycleways across the city. Councillors voted to boost the cycleways budget by more than $100 million over the next ten years, including $14 million on fixing the controversial Island Bay cycleway.
“Together, we did it,” spokesman Patrick Morgan told followers. “Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. I'm so happy I could cry.