E-bike track

Wellingtonians will be horrified to learn their cycle-mad council plans to turn the Skyline Walkway into a high-speed track to accommodate electric mountain bikes.

Dubbed a ‘‘visionary proposal’’ in the council’s draft Open Space Access Plan, an e-bike track would certainly be a magnet for mountainbikers and a boon for commercial operators. But it would also desecrate Mt Kaukau’s southern ridgeline and ruin it forever as a world-class harbour city walking experience.

E-bikes may be limited to 25kmh under power but they are capable of twice that downhill. How can such unsafe speeds be compatible with families out for a stroll or walkers seeking quiet contemplation in the ridgeline’s stunning natural environment?

While cycling interests have been well represented in consultation over the draft plan, the 1600-strong Welly Walkers collective weren’t invited by the council to make submissions and didn’t know about the proposal.

Should Wellingtonians be concerned a mountainbike contractor began track work on the Kaukau ridgeline earlier this year? And does this mean the council has already decided to build an e-bike track and consultation is just another example of lip-service public engagement a la the Island Bay cycleway? ROD LINGARD

Ngaio

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