Cycleway criticism slammed
DUNEDIN Mayor Dave Cull said yesterday the views of those valuing car parks over safety were ‘‘abhorrent’’ as the NZ Transport Agency announced building its oneway system cycleway was about to start.
Mr Cull said the cycleway was one of the most important projects undertaken in the city, and, along with others at the launch of the project yesterday, recalled the death of Dr Li Hong ‘‘Chris’’ He, who was killed while cycling outside Dunedin Hospital in 2012.
An event was held at North Ground yesterday to announce the first part of the $8 million project would begin early next month.
The contract for the project was awarded to Fulton Hogan.
NZTA projects team manager Simon Underwood said the company planned to begin work in early August.
The project is intended to provide safe cycling on a roading system overrepresented in fatal and serious crashes.
Dunedin has one of the worst pedestrian and cycle safety records in New Zealand. There have been nine injury crashes involving cyclists and 33 involving pedestrians on the oneway system since 2012.
The project will create separated cycleways from the Dunedin Botanic Garden to Queens Gardens on both the northern and southern routes.
The first stretch to be built will run between the Botanic Garden and Albany St.
Mr Cull said Mr He and two others had lost their lives cycling on the oneway system.
The NZTA and the council had considered routes through the city for cyclists, and the oneway system ‘‘is it’’.
The project would improve safety for all users of the road, including cyclists and pedestrians.
The NZTA has estimated 170 parks would be lost along the route, down from an initial estimate of 390.
The council has created 51 new parks in the area around the first section of work, and transport group manager Richard Saunders said that number could grow as more streets in the area were considered as the project developed.
The University of Otago announced yesterday its soon-toopen 152 space car park at the former Wickliffe Press site, on the corner of Clyde and Albany Sts, will be open to the public.
Mr Cull said the idea creating spaces for vacant, stationary vehicles was more important than saving people’s lives was ‘‘abhorrent’’.
His thoughts were backed up by both sides of the political spectrum at the launch, attended by Dunedin North Labour MP David Clark and National’s Michael Woodhouse.
Mr Woodhouse said he, too, remembered the death of Mr He.
On concerns over the route, he said: ‘‘I think we’ve got the right answer.’’
Cr Lee Vandervis yesterday expressed his opposition to the project in a letter to the editor of the Otago Daily Times. He said an artist’s impression of the project ‘‘is worth a thousand words listing millions in lost parking revenue, traffic disruption, squeezing heavy traffic and the hopelessness of finding a park near the hospital or university’’.
But Mr Cull said there was ‘‘a huge cohort’’ of people who would use bikes if it was safe.
Research showed a ‘‘more encouraging’’ space for cyclists and pedestrians would encourage them to use cycleways.
Mr Underwood said as the work on the first part of the project was completed, contractors would begin work on the northbound section of Great King St.
After that, the southbound section from Albany St to Rattray St would be completed in the first half of next year, then the section northbound from Queens Gardens to Albany St from May to September next year.
There was some flexibility in that plan, depending on issues like how the Dunedin courthouse work was going.
On the loss of parks, Mr Underwood said it was important to balance the needs of freight traffic, commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and businesses on the road.
‘‘Sometimes if you look at things on the flip side, if you didn’t have people cycling in the city, just how many more car parks we would need?’’
Having people cycling, and increasing the number of people cycling, actually reduced the demand on car parks.
‘‘The big driver here is safety.’’
Mr Underwood said during the work the aim was to have two lanes open during the work unless trenches needed to be dug for cables, though that was not expected.
Most of the work would be on the road shoulder, though there would be times when there were delays.
Final details of the next stages of the project, including in the section near Dunedin Hospital, were still being developed.
david.loughrey@odt.co.nz